


Hanyou of the Future

by paynesgrey



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Canon, Crack Treated Seriously, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Modern Era, Original Character(s), Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-09-26
Updated: 2010-07-16
Packaged: 2019-07-14 20:40:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 66,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16048160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paynesgrey/pseuds/paynesgrey
Summary: After the final battle, Inuyasha follows Kagome back to her time, only to be stuck there indefinitely. Inuyasha encounters a whole string of oddball jobs, rival suitors, modern society mishaps, and he has to deal with their awkward relationship. COMPLETE.





	1. Stuck

**Author's Note:**

> Published September 26th, 2005 and completed July 16th, 2010.

Glancing to his right, Inuyasha saw Sango lean into Miroku and giggle happily. Miroku grinned in response, especially since Sango was too intoxicated to notice his free reign on her backside.

Whether or not Sango cared what Miroku did to her, Inuyasha thought the scene was funny anyway. He just couldn't believe that no more than two weeks ago they were all half-dead after the battle with Naraku – the final battle.

Despite having to heal from several injuries, they could at least sigh in relief when the completed pink jewel fell into Kagome's hands, and soon after Miroku's torrent winds vanished from his hand.

Kohaku was put to rest. Kikyou was gone, and Inuyasha's promise to her fulfilled and vengeance obtained. Everyone could smile for real now, even if it felt odd at first. None of them could remember the last time they felt completed, but now their lives could finally move forward.

And as Inuyasha's eyes followed the intimate interactions of his two friends, he couldn't help but feel peaceful and happy. Miroku clutched Sango in his arms, and Sango continued to smile contentedly, her face rosy from the alcohol and her body slack from the day's many exertions.

Miroku chuckled as Sango snored softly in his arms, and he turned to Inuyasha with a satisfied expression.

"You know, I didn't know when I married her that she couldn't hold her liquor." He gave Inuyasha a mischievous grin. "If I would have known that, I would have married her sooner."

Miroku rose from the table at the local Ryokan, and he held Sango's inebriated form closely to him as he prepared to leave. Inuyasha got up with them, automatically supporting Sango from the other side and helping Miroku carry her out. Inuyasha couldn't help but inwardly laugh as he saw the poor girl start to drool.

'But for as much as we went through,' he thought, 'we deserve a little reprieve.'

"So," Miroku said, his voice strained as he heaved Sango along. She really wasn't that heavy, but he was a bit sloshed himself. Inuyasha could tell he was just slightly less drunk than Sango, but drunk enough by the way he slurred his words. After being hauled off to their room, the two of them had started drinking right away after the end of their wedding ceremony, and then coming out later to drink even more.

"So…" Miroku repeated, gaining Inuyasha's attention. Inuyasha looked at him and noticed the sly smile painted on his face. "Are you going to tell her tonight?"

Inuyasha froze as his face paled to Miroku's implication, causing him some discomfort. In fact, his relationship with Kagome had been really awkward and stale for the past four months.

"Feh." He crossed his arms and looked away. "What are you going on about? Tell her what?" Inuyasha denied, looking away with a disgruntled expression.

"Oh, ha ha! You're so funny," Miroku said quite loudly. People began staring at them on the street. Miroku jabbed a finger at him. "You know very well what I mean, my friend. Sango and I got married, and now it's time for you and Kagome to stop being idiots and get together too!" He sighed as if a monkey had just jumped off his back. "It would really save all us you know. The sexual tension is so powerful it could have defeated Naraku in one blow if properly channeled."

Inuyasha's smile contorted as if he was ready to explode. "You…you don't know what you're talking about. Kagome and I are…"

"We're what?" Inuyasha spun his head around to the voice and came face to face with Kagome, who was looking at him curiously as if she just came in on the last part of the conversation.

Miroku lazily looked over at Kagome, and then after a few minutes, something finally hit him and he grinned ecstatically. "Kagome-sama! We were just saying how it's time for…"

"Time for us to get going back to your time…" Inuyasha nervously interrupted, chuckling as he saved himself. Kagome gave Miroku a suspicious eye and then turned to Inuyasha with a pout.

"What do you mean we? I already told you that I'm going by myself because I have to study for all these make up exams my teachers are generously granting me! Do you even realize how much schooling I've missed? I could have dropped out because of this whole thing with Naraku! And if you came back with me, I'd never get any studying done."

Miroku whistled and giggled. Kagome turned her head and glared at him.

"And no, that's not what I mean. He distracts me so much that I –"

Miroku's drunken laughter was getting louder, making Inuyasha even more uncomfortable and Kagome more frustrated.

"Oh forget it! Look, you can't come, Inuyasha, and that's final!" she said, and as she was about to rush off, Inuyasha held her arm back.

"Look, woman, I told you that I'm coming with you because I'm not sure that the well will work once you go back!" Inuyasha gave her a serious stare.

"And I told you not to worry," she countered in a small voice.

"I will worry! What if you go through that well tonight and you can never come back? What am I supposed to do then? Wait five hundred years to see you again?" he shouted, and then realized that people were still looking at him. Everything he was saying was quite intimate, and he started to feel awkward expressing himself in public.

But dammit he was mad, and Kagome wasn't taking this issue seriously. Not much longer after Miroku's and Sango's wedding, Kagome decided she wanted to go home and catch up on school, while maybe coming back to visit once in awhile.

Well, he didn't want that at all. Frankly, now that the jewel was whole and Kagome was toting it around everywhere, he was worried that she'd either get attacked or worse, she'd go through the well for one last time and never return. He certainly didn't want to be stuck without her.

And she had promised to be at his side always, and now he was worried – what with the different times they were from – that now that everything was done, she'd go back home and that was the end of everything – the end of them.

"Look, we're going home," Miroku finally broke the silence. He appeared sleepy, and he was slacking even more under Sango's weight. "You guys can stay here and bicker all day, but I'm beat and Sango is heavy – er, don't tell her I said that. Anyway, we have to go. See you guys later." And then he took off, dragging his unconscious wife home, shaking his head and muttering.

As Inuyasha watched them go, he noticed Kagome began walking back to Kaede's hut.

"Hey! I'm not done with you yet! Can't you wait just a little longer to go home? What if you leave tonight and can't come back? You'll hate it if you were never able to say goodbye to Miroku and Sango. And then what about me? Maybe you don't care if you never said goodbye to any of us!" he yelled to her back, and when he finished, she stopped. He seemed to hit a nerve.

"How…how can you say that?" Kagome accused, turning around angrily. Inuyasha didn't know if she was on the verge of tears or ready to backhand him. He prepared for the worst. He gulped when he realized the rosary was still around his neck. He took a step back as she lashed at him. "Of course I'll say goodbye to everyone when the time is right! The well will be fine and you should really stop worrying so much!"

Inuyasha came up to her suddenly and grabbed her arms. She looked at him, shocked at his forward gesture. "Look, how can you be SO sure that once you're through there you can come back? Huh? Do you have proof?"

Kagome's lip quivered, and she looked up at him, shaking her head when she could come up with nothing.

"Will you at least wait to go back tomorrow?" Inuyasha sighed, releasing his tight grip on her arms but still holding her. She detected sympathy in his voice and nodded. He knew how important her school was to her, but she was so stubborn. He was worried because she really wasn't thinking clearly about this. They had always taken advantage that the well had worked for them during the mission, but now her purpose here was over, and he wasn't sure it would work once she got back.

Truthfully, she didn't belong here, and as close as they were, she really couldn't stay. She had her own time, and even though he didn't care much for her era, he wanted to at least make sure he could see her, no matter what time they were in.

Though, he was really frightened that he may be separated from her, but he would never admit that to anyone. He never had time to think of what would happen to Kagome after they completed their mission and recovered the jewel. And now they had all the time in the world to think about it.

'We have all the time in the world to think about us.'

Inuyasha stared at her pensively, and Kagome blushed in silence under his gaze. Miroku's words about 'telling her his feelings' surfaced in his brain, and then suddenly he felt tense. After their argument, they had moved beyond the village into the forest toward Kaede's shrine. Now, they were all alone.

Then, Inuyasha realized it was the perfect chance to tell her his feelings and possibly expel his fears that he'd never see her again.

Inuyasha knew he was bad saying these sorts of things. He had tried to talk to Kagome affectionately numerous times before, but he had often messed things up; they had argued, and then the 'SIT' treatment had soon followed.

He hoped that now he wouldn't screw up.

"Hey, Kagome... listen…"

"Kagome!" a squeaky voice hollered, making Inuyasha cringe as someone interrupted them. When he realized who their party crasher was, he growled.

"Ah, Shippo!" Kagome cooed, taking the bouncing fox child into her arms. She directed her attention to him, making Inuyasha angry and jealous.

"Is it true you're going home tonight?" Shippo pouted, giving her the ole "big-eyed cute child" stare. Kagome chuckled.

"I was, but Inuyasha convinced me to stay. Miroku and Sango aren't in the best condition to say goodbye either, and I think I can study a little here tonight as well."

"Wah! I wanted you to play with me! Do you have to study?" Shippo begged. Inuyasha clenched his fists at his side.

"Um …well," Kagome stammered, trying to be as nice as possible to refuse him. Finally Inuyasha stepped in.

"Get lost, runt. Let Kagome study!" Inuyasha said, pushing him out of her arms. Shippo looked up at him and glared. He was about to say something, but Inuyasha gave him a vicious stare. "Kagome's tests are important to her. She's missed a lot already, so don't bother her, is that clear?"

Shippo stared up at Inuyasha with disbelief that he was doing something selfless. Kagome seemed just as impressed. Shippo sulked away as Kagome yelled a comforting, "I'll find you later" to him, and then she turned to Inuyasha and smiled gratefully.

"Thanks, um…you didn't have to be so hard on him, but I'm glad you know that studying is important to me." She clasped her hands together and looked at her feet nervously, shifting her shoe in the dirt. "So, thank you."

"Feh, it was nothing. You shouldn't let him get away with everything. Kids have to know that they can't whine for every little thing," he said, crossing his arms and looking away. He said nothing as Kagome beamed at him.

"Oh yeah," she remembered aloud. "Did you want to say something to me?"

Inuyasha looked back at her, surprised and feeling uncomfortable that he was put on the spot again. He tried to remember the words from beforehand, but he couldn't remember them anymore. He looked at her dumbly, and then shook his head.

"Yeah, but it wasn't important. Forget about it and do your studying," he said, trying not to look her in the eyes. He stole a glance at her, only to see that she wasn't budging.

"Oh come on, now, what was it?" She detected he was nervous, trying to tell her something important. She had known him long enough to pick up on his mannerisms.

"I told you it was nothing," he avoided loudly. Then he started to walk away, adding, "I just wanted to spend some time with you tonight, that's all. If you're studying, it's no big deal."

Well, it was a big deal to him, but he didn't want it to appear that way. He was both upset and relieved he didn't confess to her yet, and he could probably spend this night in preparation for another time.

"Oh?" Kagome said, running up to his side. Now she was interested. "And do what?"

Inuyasha scrunched his face up, trying to hold back the anxiety filling the pit of his stomach. He looked at her; more accurately, he looked at her wet parted lips and swallowed awkwardly. He shook away his thoughts and said in a small voice, "Nothing much, I guess. I'm sure you're studying is more important."

Kagome nodded, dissatisfied with his reply. Forcing a smile she said, "Okay." And she walked back with him to the shrine. When he got to Kaede's hut, he left Kagome there and retreated into the forest.

***

"Goodbye! Come back soon!" Sango said, forcing herself to smile even when her expression noted otherwise. Kagome beamed at her, realizing that her eyes were bloodshot and her hair was unkempt from the night before. Miroku, too, leaned into say goodbye, and Kagome had to shy away from his atrocious breath.

'Gods, what were they drinking?' She giggled, realizing that her friends had a lot of well-deserved fun last night.

Shippo hugged her tightly, and she knew she would only be able to pry him off once she got to the lip of the well. Kaede was there too, smiling softly as Kagome prepared to leave. Inuyasha was at Kagome's side, his face contorting in frustration.

They had gotten into an argument bright and early this morning about him accompanying her, and he had to convince her that once he was sure the well still worked, he would go right back and leave her to her studies.

She seemed satisfied enough with that.

Finally, everyone watched them leave, disappearing down into the well in a burst of blue light. Miroku felt disturbed as the burst of light in the well seemed larger than he remembered, and he wondered if it was something had truly changed or if it was just his hangover.

He shook his head and headed back to town with the others. However, he had the sinking feeling that something was amiss. Inuyasha had warned him that the well might not work after this, and he hoped it wasn't true.

***

"There!" Kagome said, dusting the dirt off her skirt as Inuyasha helped her out of the well in her time. She took his hand and leaned into him, smiling first and then detaching herself from him.

She turned and looked at him with her hands on her hips.

"Well?" She looked at him impatiently. "Aren't you going to try it out, Mr. Worrywart?"

Inuyasha scoffed and he turned to the well, looking at it hesitantly. He hoped it did work. He wanted all his fears to be nullified, and although Kagome would gain the satisfaction of being right, he would at least feel relieved that he could still see her.

"Well, here goes nothing," he said, sucking in his breath and preparing to jump. He felt silly as if he was mimicking a motion to dive into water.

Inuyasha felt his body drop and waited for the inevitable catch. He closed his eyes, but then, he felt emptiness. The soles of his feet touched the ground, and then he opened his eyes widely to the wooden walls of the Higurashi well.

"What the -?"

"Inuyasha?" He heard Kagome's voice echo down to him, but he didn't respond. Instead, he jumped a few times, desperate for the catch.

"Inuyasha!" she screamed, and he shivered at her shrill tone.

"Gees, don't scream my head off!" he shouted. Then he was silent, and Kagome looked down at him.

"What is it?" Kagome asked hesitantly. She was afraid of his next answer.

He smirked, and a whirlwind of emotions bounced around in his head. He started to feel dizzy at the revelation. He laughed lightly, inwardly disliking that he was right this time.

And this was one time he didn't want to be right.

"Kagome…" he sighed, and she silently waited for his answer. His voice wavered, numbed from shock. "It doesn't work. We can't go back."

He looked up from the well and met her gaze. She saw worry in his expression. "I'm stuck here."

To Be Continued….


	2. Frozen Jewel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to foamyfan15010 for beta-ing. This chapter is dedicated to Silverontherose, who always seems to cheer me up. Love you, girl. Thanks to everyone for their support of this new piece. Next chapter will be out next week. :-)
> 
> EDIT: Thank you to Nessaneko on LiveJournal who informed me about Japanese identification papers and hanko stamps. On another note, I am not Japanese and I will do my best to be culturally accurate. If you see some discrepancies, I would appreciate if you email me personally before leaving it in my review. Thanks, but I just don't really care for anonymous reviews that I can't reply to.

Her eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to speak. By the look on her face, he quickly prepared his sensitive ears for her shrill voice.

"What do you mean you're stuck!" she yelled at him, giving him a look that clearly inferred she thought he was being stupid. He scowled at her.

He narrowed his eyes and replied, "Like I said, I jumped down here and can't go back. I told you this would happen, but no…."

Suddenly she jumped down to him, and his eyes bugged out, unprepared to catch her as she jumped, and definitely not prepared to see a glimpse of her panties.

'Bad, Inu, bad,' he told himself, and shook the mental images from his head and concentrated on giving her a piece of his mind after she plopped herself into his arms.

"I really wish you wouldn't do that," he said sternly, but she ignored him as her attention was drawn to the bottom of the well. She held out the jewel, hoping for any sign of reaction to their situation.

She held it in her palm and waited, scrunching her face in frustration when no time-space catch was evident, and no fluid motion had whisked them away to the past. She scratched her head.

"Hrmm…that's funny," she murmured, staring at the jewel. "Something must be wrong."

"Humph, that's what I've been trying to tell you," he said with irritation. Kagome turned to him perplexed.

"Well, yes, it seems we can't go back now," she agreed, and she saw him puff out his chest confirming he was right. She had to stifle a giggle at how cute it had made him look, and then she cleared her throat, trying to remain serious. Inuyasha sensed Kagome was still preoccupied in her thoughts. "But there's something else I'm now worried about."

Inuyasha cocked his head at her. "Well, what is it?"

Kagome held out the jewel to him, and as he looked down at it, visibly there was nothing different about it. However, once he relaxed and concentrated, he couldn't sense any power coming from it.

"What's happened?" Inuyasha replied.

Kagome nodded. "Exactly. And even when I touch it, I can't sense the two forces battling inside anymore. I can't feel the evil or the purity. It's like the forces within the jewel and all the power output are frozen."

"Frozen? Like ice?" he asked, bending down closer to inspect any changes in it. Besides appearing somewhat duller, it looked exactly the same as it always had.

"Well, sort of. It's more like everything stopped moving, that the power is in suspended animation," Kagome said, closing her eyes and concentrating. "It's like it's now just an ordinary gemstone."

Inuyasha sighed and leaned against the wall of the well. He closed his eyes in defeat. "Great. That's just great. First the well doesn't work, and now the Shikon Jewel has no power. It's like all that crap we did to complete it doesn't even matter. Now we can't even use it."

"Don't say that!" Kagome exclaimed, patting his shoulder reassuringly. He looked down at her and noticed she was smiling.

"I'm sure there's a reason these things are happening. And besides, isn't it better that the jewel doesn't have any power to attract unwanted attention?" she offered, and Inuyasha relaxed to the sound of her voice – comforted by Kagome's confidence.

"Well, I'm not sure it matters if the jewel even works here. I haven't sensed any demons in this time since that Noh mask. I think you worry too much," he said.

Kagome shrugged, turning around and climbing out of the well. "True, but it doesn't mean they don't exist. Some might be out there somewhere. We just haven't found them yet. It's a big planet, Inuyasha; the possibilities are endless."

He looked up as she crawled out, his face flushing at the view of her panties again, and then he quickly shifted his eyes to her outstretched hand. She smiled sweetly at him, ready to help him out of the well.

"C'mon, let's go get some lunch. I'm starving," she said, and Inuyasha nodded in return, cracking a small smile and then taking her hand as they walked back to the house.

***

Her mother and Souta were delighted that Inuyasha was eating lunch with them, but her grandpa was suspicious as usual, and he ate his meal in silence.

Inuyasha looked grumpier than usual and chomped on his food loudly. His behavior proved something bothered him, and he didn't seem happy about it at all.

Kagome seemed distracted as well, zoning out and then concentrating on the jewel. She had many concerns tugging at her spirit, but now she wondered what to do with Inuyasha while he was stuck here.

If the jewel really was out of commission and the well was no longer active, Inuyasha had to stay here with her family. There was obviously no other choice.

Kagome cleared her throat and sat down her chopsticks. Her brother and mother watched her with fascination as she prepared to address them.

"Mom, Grandpa, Souta: Inuyasha and I have something important to talk to you about," she paused and looked at the mixture of expressions on her family's faces.

"Am I going to be an uncle?" Souta blurted, and her mother clasped her hands in joy immediately. Grandpa's jaw dropped, cursing softly and beginning to make sutras.

Inuyasha paled, and Kagome flushed. She glared at her brother and shook her head.

"Hey, it's not like that!" Kagome defended. "Give me a chance to speak already." She sighed. Her mother seemed disappointed, and that frightened Kagome – in a way.

Her grandpa slumped down to the floor relaxed, and Souta patted Inuyasha on the arm to tell him, "Better luck next month." Inuyasha's mouth dropped, and he was rendered speechless.

"Now be serious, everyone," Kagome continued. "Something has happened to the jewel we recently completed, and now the well won't work anymore."

Her family blinked at her stunned at the revelation. All at once, their gazes traveled to Inuyasha, back to Kagome, and then back to Inuyasha again.

"So…Inuyasha is stuck here?" Souta asked, and Kagome could sense the excitement in his voice. She rolled her eyes, and thought, 'Really, the hero worship was just too much sometimes.'

Kagome nodded, and then looked at her mother and grandpa with pleading eyes. "Now of course, he's going to need somewhere to stay until we figure out how to get the well working again. So…" She paused, but then her mother stepped in.

"Oh, don't worry, dear. Your friend can stay here as long as he likes." Her mother beamed at him, and Inuyasha slouched uncomfortably under Kagome's mother's kind gaze. Her grandpa reluctantly agreed, nodding only after Mrs. Higurashi had lightly elbowed him to respond.

Souta tugged at his sister next to him, and she bent down as he whispered into her ear. "Mom is absolutely thrilled. She's been raving about having Inuyasha stay here since she met him."

Kagome's face flushed even more, and her eyes widened. "What?" she exclaimed, and everyone looked over at her to see the commotion. Souta looked over at Inuyasha and smiled with a set of sparkly teeth.

"This is so awesome! I finally get a big brother!" Souta encouraged, and Inuyasha forced a smile, slouching even closer toward Kagome's side.

'Wonderful. This is just wonderful,' Inuyasha thought. He admitted he always enjoyed Kagome's time and her family's generosity, but he still didn't feel he truly belonged yet. He felt overwhelmed by it all, and even though he felt comfortable in their house, outside that door the world was wholly different and foreign to him. Inuyasha had seen glimpses of it, and Kagome's modern culture had confused him as well.

He didn't know if he could handle everything.

"Hrm…well, if he's going to stay here, I suppose we'll have to get him some papers," Kagome's mom pondered aloud.

Inuyasha looked at her curiously. "Papers?"

"Yeah, she means identification papers and work references. You really can't live in this time without them," Kagome confirmed. Inuyasha suddenly felt even more confused.

"Yes, and I know someone at the ministry that I think can help. I'll just say you're a wondering monk or something from Tibet and don't have any papers." Kagome gave her mother a disbelieving look and Inuyasha just stared expressionless at her. Mrs. Higurashi smiled. "Don't worry about it. It'll be all taken care of. I'll even pick you up your own hanko stamp. " And then her mother put her hand over her mouth and held back a small ominous giggle.

"Mom, don't do anything illegal, okay?" Kagome groaned, rubbing her temple as a headache resurfaced.

"Don't be silly, Kagome. People do this stuff everyday," her mother reassured, waving her hand in the air. Everyone watched as Kagome's mom got up and started cleaning off the dishes from the table.

"Ugh," Kagome sighed, and Inuyasha noticed she was looking stressed from the situation. He hoped that he wouldn't be too much of a burden to her. And frankly, he had to stay here with her. He had no other place to go.

"Anyway, besides the well not working, something else has gone wrong too." Kagome looked at her grandpa and then held out the Shikon Jewel.

He gasped, and Kagome thought that maybe he had never seen the real thing before. Kagome placed the jewel in his hand.

"This is the Shikon no Tama that we fought for," Kagome said seriously. Her grandpa made a noise of joy.

"Ah, so powerful! I can feel it!" he swooned, clutching the jewel affectionately.

Kagome and Inuyasha gave her grandpa a look of annoyance.

"Uh… actually Grandpa, the jewel's power is inactive. That is the other problem I wanted to tell you about," Kagome stated. Inuyasha scoffed to her side, and she heard him mutter, 'delusional old hack' under his breath. She punched him on the shoulder and then smiled.

Her grandpa looked at the jewel closely and nodded. "Right. I knew that. I was only…testing you. Haha!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "So Grandpa, until we figure out what's wrong with it, can you keep it in a safe place? We don't know the reason yet why it's suddenly not working or if it will ever work again."

With a raging spirit, her grandpa clutched the jewel in his hand and looked up into space with fortitude. "Granddaughter! I will do this! This is my most important duty as head priest of the Higurashi shrine!"

Inuyasha gaped at him, and Kagome just shook her head. They watched him shuffling out of the room to the outside, undoubtedly toward the shed full of family heirlooms safely store the jewel.

Kagome sighed and turned to her mother. "I'll be able to go to school tomorrow," she said as her mother cleaned up the last bit of dishes from the table. Her mother nodded. "The principal approved some make-up course to take twice a week. He said that he understood my health problems and that it was not a problem to give me a second chance."

"That's good, honey. I'm glad your grandfather won't have to make excuses for you anymore." Her mother smiled cheerfully. "Although, I think he'll miss coming up with all those stories."

Kagome chuckled, but she was just glad she could finally go back. She wouldn't have to hide things from her friends anymore. Her life was suddenly becoming normal again.

Well, normal if she counted the fact that Inuyasha was living with them. Now, that was something she'd have to get used to.

***

When the Higurashi family finally settled down for bed, Inuyasha came into Kagome's room holding a pillow and blanket. She met his gaze, and he nodded his head to her awkwardly.

"Hey. Your mother said the spare room wouldn't be cleaned out for another day or so. So…she said I can stay in here for the night," he stated, throwing the pillow and blanket on the floor. He sat down and leaned against the wall, noticing she watched his movements closely. Suddenly, he felt strangely uncomfortable and he didn't know why.

He had spent the night in her room several times before and never had felt this way. Maybe it was his nerves or something, but the thought of staying with Kagome permanently jarred him, and he finally began to feel his life changing.

'It's what I've always wanted, though,' he inwardly mused, remembering the day she promised to be with him.

"It's fine." She smiled welcoming. She turned back to her desk and continued working on her homework she started earlier after dinner.

Her brother had abducted him so she could study, and Inuyasha had spent the rest of the evening playing some game called "Final Fantasy" on Souta's black box thingy. He certainly had never seen such a thing in his life, and he was mildly irritated when her brother pranced around their house in glee that he had 'beat' him.

'Keh. And if it had been a real sword fight, I'd totally win,' he thought, and it had made him feel a lot better.

Suddenly, he was jarred out of his thoughts as Kagome put down her pencil and turned to face him. She had another one of those serious looks on her face that led usually led to unpleasant conversations.

"Inuyasha, are you upset that you have to be here, you know, in my time?" Kagome asked bluntly, and Inuyasha quickly noticed her infamous pout.

He grunted, and then looked away. "Feh. Of course not," he said sternly and then paused. From his profile, Kagome saw confusion and uncertainty in his expression. "It's just going to take some getting used to. I don't …I don't know much about this time or this world."

Kagome was silent, staring at him and trying to read his emotions from his tone and expressions. She knew him well enough that he didn't like feeling helpless and out of control, and even though he didn't say it, being in this strange land made him feel very lonely.

She got up from her desk and stretched. Yawning, she looked at him and gave him another cheerful smile. "Don't worry, Inuyasha. If you need anything, I'm here for you."

He turned his head and looked back at her, soaking up her image but continuing to hold back his true feelings. He really was thankful for her, more than he could really express in words.

He watched her settle under her covers into her bed, and he inhaled her beautiful scent in the room, being content enough with her nearness. His eyes felt heavy from sleepiness, but then he heard her call his name.

"Inuyasha?" she whispered in a low voice.

He sensed anxiety in her tone, but also detected a small amount of hope.

"You don't have to be alone anymore."

"I know, Kagome. I know," he answered, reassuring her that he would be all right.

He heard her swallow uncomfortably, and then in a hurried flow of words she said, "No, what I meant to say was, you don't have to be alone tonight, if you don't want to be." She sat up in her bed, and then slid over toward the wall. She patted her hand once on the space she had left open for him.

He felt his ears burn in response. His eyes widened as heat began rushing throughout his body.

Then, she gave him a stern look and said with a warning. "It's not what you think, pervert." Her voice changed again to concern. "You've been through a lot today. I just don't want you to feel alone tonight."

He nodded, his words still jumbled in the back of his throat. Slowly, he got up and glided over to her bed. She looked at him, flushing as his silver hair and golden eyes sparkled in the moonlight.

Her breath became heavier at each motion he took. Inuyasha reached his hand down, and then lifted the cover. He slid his body underneath the blankets, and instantly, she felt his body heat combine with hers.

Inuyasha glanced at her a couple of times awkwardly. He averted his eyes from her, and then he felt her turn over, settling on her side of the bed. He looked down seeing her back to him as she faced her front to the wall. He leaned his head back, slowly lying down and staring at the ceiling, methodically calming himself from soothing the heat that washed all over his body.

He noticed she shifted her position, and then her back rubbed against his shoulder. Inuyasha closed his eyes, reveling in that brief moment of contact.

Then bravely, he turned his body toward hers, wrapping his arms around her settling into a spooning position. He exhaled softly, thankful that they could sleep like this for the night. Most likely tomorrow he would have his own room, but for tonight he could be with her like this.

If she only knew how much he treasured moments like these, but he just couldn't figure out the ways to reveal his feelings. Then, as he held her, he finally heard her even breathing next to him as she fell asleep. He nuzzled his face into her hair.

"Thank you, Kagome," he whispered, and he soaked in her warmth scent, lulling him into a rare, comfortable slumber.

TBC…


	3. Shopping Buddy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shibuya: A shopping and entertainment district situated in the west of Tokyo. Thanks to foamyfan15010 for beta-ing. And thank you to Dark Avenger for helping me out with a few extra errors.

Kagome woke up crying early in the morning, startling herself as she opened her eyes to lingering memories of her friends in the feudal era.

She didn't know if she was ever going to see them again, but she wanted to have hope. She wanted to be strong as always because she was Kagome, and she was known for it.

When her hazy mind had cleared up, Kagome realized that she was in her own era, feeling secondary warmth around her and embracing her from behind. At first, instinct almost influenced her to freak out, but she calmed herself, realizing that Inuyasha was holding her through sleep deprived intentions.

She soaked in the feeling, grateful they could do something like this without awkwardness or fighting. Her happiness increased ten-fold as she reminisced about the many times she had admitted her love for him, wishing and dreaming that after all the violence they could be together – that they could grow and have moments just like this.

Kagome sighed, closing her eyes as she focused on his touch: his arms around her waist, his face against her back, and his breath fluttering through the thin material of her pajamas.

She sighed, and she almost giggled to the thought of her family busting into her room to such a scene, and that there would be a lot of awkward and embarrassing excuses from the both of them.

Actually, Kagome didn't know really how Inuyasha felt about her. She knew that he considered her special, and that he always wanted to stay by her side. But as for definitive feelings and intentions, both of them were at an impasse. She had only initiated a kiss once in a stressful situation, where Inuyasha later had shrugged it off huffily after Miroku had teased them.

Ever since then, nothing else had occurred. There was never time for it, not when they were tied to their adventures and struggling to find ways to defeat Naraku. Frustration, anger, and enemy interference had left their relationship stagnant.

Though, when everything was done and peace had been achieved, Kagome wondered if it would be alright to pursue Inuyasha and admit her feelings.

However, she hesitated because Inuyasha appeared dissatisfied at being stuck in her time, indicating to her that maybe he really didn't want to be here – that maybe he didn't want to be with her.

Yet, the way he was holding her now would prove otherwise; she just wasn't sure. As she fretted over such things, she took delight in the here and now with Inuyasha in her bed, worrying that this may never happen again.

So as she smiled and soaked in his warmth, her eyes became heavy and she succumbed to slumber.

Tomorrow she would finally go back to school, and she was glad that she would never have to miss it for her Feudal Era duties again. And when she came home, Inuyasha would be here waiting for her.

***

Inuyasha woke when the morning sunlight warmed his face peaking through Kagome's curtains. He looked to his side, realizing that he must have shifted in his sleep and was no longer holding Kagome.

He didn't know if he should be disappointed or not, since he wasn't embracing her but preventing an awkward scene when she realized he was holding her.

His inner relief stemmed from the fact that he didn't know what Kagome thought of him. He was worried, in a way, that maybe she had grown tired of him, and maybe didn't love him in the same way as he loved her.

He was stuck in her time and was more frightened then ever that perhaps Kagome only saw him as a friend – a very good friend, or some sort of platonic nonsense between a man and woman.

In Inuyasha's case, he had no other woman or person besides Kagome, and it would be impossible for him not to feel such a way about her, not after the way she had understood him and accepted him so much.

He just couldn't picture himself without her, even more of an indication that it would lead to something more.

He just didn't know how to get to that point.

So Inuyasha got up, softly climbing out of her bed and letting her get some rest before she had to go to school. He didn't know what he'd do now, so he left her room and crept downstairs to where her family was preparing breakfast.

"Ah, Inuyasha!" Mrs. Higurashi said smiling upon his arrival into the dining room. "Would you, perhaps, like to accompany me shopping today? I could use the extra hands to carry things. Souta and Kagome will be at school, and Grandpa will be tending the shrine while I'm gone. So, can I count on you?"

He nodded and shrugged, and she tittered happily at his response. He sat down at the table, not paying attention as Kagome's grandpa glared at him as usual, and Souta stared at him in awe.

"So, what did you and Kagome do last night?" Souta asked slyly, prompting an even harder glare from Grandpa. Inuyasha did not crack under the pressure, but Souta continued to tease him. "You guys were really quiet last night." And then Souta leaned over and whispered. "You must be very good at that."

Inuyasha huffed. "Quiet, kid." For he was not in the mood for such things, not since he had been mulling over his relationship with Kagome all last night, and her little brother's insinuations were grating on his nerves. In fact, Inuyasha had never really completely thought about such romantic notions before.

And now, being away from adventures with demons in a peaceful time, he knew that it wouldn't't be long until his intimate desires would surface. His face warmed just thinking about it.

"Good morning!" Kagome said in a chipper voice. Everyone turned to greet her, and she took a spot at the table next to Inuyasha. She turned to him and smiled affectionately. "Sleep well, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha looked down at her for a moment, feeling awkward as Kagome and her family awaited his response. He felt a catch in his throat and then managed to utter, "Uh…yeah, fine."

Kagome seemed satisfied by that, while Souta snickered to himself on the other side.

"Kagome, isn't it wonderful? Inuyasha is going to accompany me shopping today," her mother said, setting their breakfast down and seating herself at the table. Everyone readied their chopsticks and stated usual grace before the meal.

Kagome took her first bite and looked over at her mom. "That's good, Mom. Maybe you can take him shopping for some clothes."

Inuyasha turned to her before taking a bite. "What's wrong with my clothes?" His tone seemed offended.

"Oh, nothing," Kagome said, her voice muffled slightly as she swallowed her food. "It's just that in my time, your clothes will stand out. It's okay for the shrine, since people will automatically assume you're working here, but as for everyday clothes, you should have something more from this time. And well, you should probably have more than one outfit too."

"I don't need any of that stuff. I'm fine with this," he said with some annoyance. Kagome sighed and scrunched her face.

"Come on, Inuyasha. At least get one outfit to fit in. You can wear it when we go out and stuff," Kagome said, trying to convince him. Inuyasha looked at her, sighed, and couldn't say no to her pleading eyes.

"Fine. Whatever you want," he said, and he thought he faintly heard a whipping noise come from within Souta's mouth. He shot him a look, but Souta feigned a blasé look and continued eating his breakfast.

"Oh, that sounds great. We can go to Shibuya and find you something. It's been awhile since I went there, so we'll go before we get the groceries," her mother said, clasping her hands together in elation.

"Shibuya? Isn't that a bit out of the way?" Kagome asked, feeling a bit jealous that her mother would go to such lengths for Inuyasha.

"Nonsense. If he's only getting one outfit, might as well be a good one," Mrs. Higurashi said, noticing her daughter's disappointment. "I'll pick you up something while I there too. Maybe you can pick it out, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha swallowed uncomfortably, not knowing what to say to such a request. Then he sported his usual stand-offish disposition, crossed his arms and shrugged. "Yeah, okay."

Kagome giggled, and then leaned in close to him to whisper. "Remember, I like blue." And he felt a pool of warmth rise in his body as he took in her husky tone.

After that, he didn't think this shopping trip with her mom would be so bad.

When she left for school, he and her mom waved goodbye to her as they walked in opposite directions toward the bus stops. Mrs. Higurashi patted his head covered in one of Grandpa's ball caps.

"So, ready to go?" she asked him as the bus came. He nodded, and he took off for a day's adventure in the city.

***

Mrs. Higurashi perked up when the curtain in the fitting room was drawn back and Inuyasha emerged. As usual, he came out dressed in modern clothes, looking as amazing as he did in the ten other outfits he had tried on before that.

Trying to keep her cool, Mrs. Higurashi silently swooned at each fitting, and she secretly envied her daughter at having such an exotic looking boyfriend. She was half-tempted to buy all those outfits for him, not caring so much about price.

His red robe certainly didn't do justice to his body's angles and frame. The modern clothes were form fitting, tight in the more favorable places and loose in others. She watched him turn around and then cross his arms.

"Well?" he said, and she saw the other women in the store ogle at him hungrily, blushing as he turned around and studying his every facet.

Mrs. Higurashi smiled, trying to avoid her eyes from staying too long on his behind, displaying more prominently in the khaki pants.

"They all look splendid. Would you like more than one?" she asked, her voice quavering slightly. She cleared her throat.

"I don't care. I guess this one is fine, and maybe those other two you said Kagome would like," he said, only caring about the ones he thought Kagome would like and not giving a rat's ass about what that pushy sales woman had said.

"Excellent!" squeaked the sales lady beside Kagome's mom. "Would the gentleman like to wear one of the purchases?"

Inuyasha scoffed. "Whatever." Groaning as he reached down and scratched at the constraining sandals that he was wearing. Mrs. Higurashi had suggested he wear shoes, since people in this era didn't go around barefoot anymore. Out of all the shoes he had tried on, a pair of simple wooden sandals was the least constricting of them all.

Mrs. Higurashi jubilantly made her way to the cashier station and paid for Inuyasha's clothes. When he realized he had almost forgotten about Kagome, he nudged her shoulder.

"Hey, weren't we going to get something for Kagome?" he asked.

Mrs. Higurashi turned to him with that perpetual smile of hers. "Of course, but not here. There's a special shop I'd like to visit for her."

He nodded, realizing that if her mom thought it was special, that Kagome would indeed be pleased by it. He anticipated getting something for her, and he really didn't care about the shopping done for him.

"Don't worry, Inuyasha. Kagome will just love you in those clothes," Kagome's mother reassured. He only hoped she was right.

"Why don't you meet her after school today and surprise her? You can give her your gift if you want," Kagome's mother suggested, and she seemed to smile wider to that suggestion.

Inuyasha nodded in agreement, anticipating Kagome's reaction to his clothes, hoping she would approve. He looked down at his tight black shirt, outlining his muscles and adorned with a word that her mom had told him was English, saying 'Bad' and accompanied by the kanji for it as well. He scrunched his nose as he looked down at the tan pants he was wearing; not liking the fact that he had to wrestle with the zipper, a new concept to him altogether. He played with the rosary around his neck, and he began to idly wonder why it was still there, thinking that he really didn't need it.

However, he didn't really about the rosary anymore. She hadn't used it in over two months for when that mangy wolf was about to haul Kagome off to his den after the battle with Naraku. If Kagome hadn't sat him, he would have ripped him apart for suggesting Kagome settle down with him. Inuyasha felt that was his right, not the damn wolf's.

He was lucky Kagome was perfectly charming to decline the wolf, and Kouga understood rather quickly that Kagome was going home. Inuyasha secretly wondered if Kouga knew all along that Inuyasha and Kagome belonged together, and he just hit on Kagome to annoy him.

"Inuyasha?" He heard Kagome's mom try to get his attention as his thoughts went astray. "It's time to go to that shop." Inuyasha nodded as she led the way.

***

When Kagome got to school that morning, she didn't realize that she'd be screwed in her math class. Since she'd been absent for the quest in the feudal era, she didn't know anything about the huge mid-term exam coming up in her advanced algebra class. After barely squeaking by her first two algebra exams in the past, she was once again ill-prepared for this one.

As usual, her friends were no help to her, keeping their notes to themselves and not offering to study with her because they were busy after school. Her only hope now was Hojo, and although she disliked the idea of asking him for help, she had no other choice. It was either that or totally flunk the exam.

She just hoped that Hojo didn't ask her out on a date in addition to her plea for help. She crossed her fingers, and after school was out, she scrambled to find him before he left.

"Hojo-kun!" she yelled, flagging him down as he unlocked his bike from the school rack. He looked up and smiled when he realized it was her.

"Ah, Higurashi!" He waved back, and she saw that he was digging in his bag for something as she made her way over to him.

"I have something for you," he told her, and Kagome couldn't help but smile to how predictable he was. He handed her something wrapped in tissue paper, and then gave her a beaming smile.

"They're medicinal hot and cold pads for you back pains."

"Back pains?" Kagome inquired.

"Yeah, I heard from Ayumi-kun that you were sick last week from muscle spasms in your back. I hope these will help you. How is your back these days?" he asked with concern. Kagome smiled, half-relieved that her grandfather no longer was forced to come up with crazy excuses for her anymore.

"Well, actually, everything is great now, but thank you." She took them from him anyway, not sure when she'd ever use them.

"Anyway, Hojo, I wanted to ask a favor of you," Kagome said, looking up at him with pleading eyes. She noticed the faint blush on his face and inwardly groaned to that.

"Favor?" he stuttered.

"Yeah, could you please help me study for this math exam? I'm soooooo behind! I'd be in your debt forever if you do this for me." She grinned with a toothy smile at him.

"Well, sure!" he said enthusiastically. "We can make it a study date."

"Date?" Kagome asked as her stomach lurched uncomfortably. She didn't want to give Hojo any false hope, but she desperately needed his help. She didn't want to think about what Inuyasha would say if he knew Hojo's intentions. She hoped it wouldn't come to that, and that on the surface, it was just an educational meeting between two people and nothing else.

"Well," she hesitated. She was more afraid of failing, and since she didn't feel the same way for Hojo, she opted not to give this chance up. "I guess so."

"Great! We can meet tomorrow at the library, say right after school?" Hojo smoothed back his hair and Kagome noticed the anticipation in his eyes.

She smiled. "Sure!" She didn't want to give him more happiness than that. "Thanks so much, Hojo. I owe you!" And she took off, waving goodbye to him and thanking him again for his gift.

As she ran away, she noticed a crowd of students gathering around the entrance of the school. Kagome noticed that people were chattering and gasping in awe.

"Who is he?" one girl asked.

"He looks so gorgeous! He seems to be waiting for someone," another quipped.

"Whoever that person is, I envy her," another one said while sighing.

"Maybe he's waiting for a boy," another responded sniggering, and the rest of the voices were drowned out as the object of their interest looked over at Kagome walking past the crowd.

"There you are," he said gruffly, and now all eyes were on Kagome as the mysterious stranger walked over to her. He took her bag, and she stared at him with a stunned expression.

She looked him up and down, realizing that he was now wearing modern clothes, and he looked damn fine in them to boot.

"Uh…uh…" she stuttered, not finding the words. She couldn't keep her eyes off the black shirt that snuggly fit around his muscular chest.

"What's wrong? Don't you like it?" He looked down at his clothes, and he appeared concerned about how he looked in them.

"No!" she said a bit louder than usual, and his face fell at her answer. "No…I mean, yes, I like it. You look…" She paused and a heavy breath escaped her lips. "You look really good."

"Well, good," he sighed, relieved. "Now here, I was supposed to give this to you."

He handed her the package, and he didn't seem to care that people in her school were still ogling them.

"This is for me?" She took the package hesitantly, and then meticulously opened the bag. She gasped as she saw a light blue shawl in a fine knit material. She cooed as she took it out of the bag and slid it over her shoulders. It was soft, and she caressed her hands over the material.

"Yeah, I picked it out. I hope, um…, it's not too ugly, or something." He coughed, feeling strangely nervous all of the sudden.

"It's beautiful. I love it," Kagome said, hugging it herself and looking at him. She wanted to run up and hug him, but at the corner of her eye, she noticed her class mates were still staring at him.

"Um… thanks for picking me up. We should go now," she said, in a hurry to leave the scene and get away from intrusive eyes.

"Yeah…sure," he said, noticing their surroundings and mirroring her discomfort. "Why the hell are they staring at us?"

"Well," Kagome chuckled, as they walked back toward her home. "I think they're staring at you."

"Me?" he questioned.

"Well, yeah, because you look so …"

"Because of my hair?" he interrupted, used to the reactions the humans had in this time if a person's hair wasn't black. Kagome's friends had reacted weird to him also, and Kagome told him later that they thought he was foreign and from a country where light haired people were native.

"Yeah…well something else too," Kagome said sheepishly.

"Oh yeah, and what's that?" he prodded, curious to the strange smile she had on her face.

"Well, what I heard from a couple girls in that group was that they think you're good looking," she said smirking at him, and then she took his hand in hers and squeezed it. "I don't know where they get that idea," she teased.

He harrumphed. "Oh, you don't, huh? And I thought you knew me better than a couple of strangers did," he said, playing her game.

She leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Oh? Well, maybe I still have a lot to learn."

His ears twitched underneath the hat, and he delighted in the playfulness in her tone. He stifled a growl, and he felt heat rise in his torso, electrifying his sense from her contact.

"Listen," he said in almost a whisper. He didn't know why his voice had come out so soft. "Let's go somewhere tomorrow, just us."

At first, Kagome was ecstatic at the idea, but before she could agree, she suddenly remembered the study date with Hojo.

"I'd love to but …" She looked at him with a disappointed expression. "Hojo's helping me with my homework tomorrow. I'm really behind and in danger of failing one of my classes. He's the only one that will help me."

Inuyasha let go of her hand and looked at her with a dejected expression. "Hojo…Is he that guy that helped you before?"

Kagome nodded, and she felt really bad for the fallen look on Inuyasha's face. She became surprised when he furrowed his brow in anger, trying to hold back something on his mind.

"It's only for tomorrow, since the test is the following day. Maybe we can go out after the test?" she asked, trying to revive his spirits. She took his hand back, even though it was slack in her grasp.

He nodded lightly. "Maybe."

She continued to walk, leading him and still holding his hand. He seemed upset, and she only hoped he would get over it. Yet, more than anything she wanted to know what was bothering him.

She knew that Inuyasha was the one person she knew that hardly ever overtly shared his feelings, and this was one of those times where she wished everything was out in the open.

"Inuyasha, is there something bothering you? If you don't like me studying with Hojo, maybe I could just forget it and –"

"No, you need the help, right? Your school is important. I'm just…tired from the day." He forced a smile. "Your mom dragged me everywhere, and I came right here afterward."

"Oh," Kagome said, only half-buying his excuse. But she didn't want to push the subject, especially with the unpleasant vibes coming from Inuyasha's expression. "Okay," she finally replied, and they walked in silence the remaining trip home.

Suddenly, she felt him squeeze her hand in his just a little tighter. Her heart racing, she hoped he wasn't really worried that he could lose her to Hojo.

TBC …


	4. Dating Advice from Souta

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to my ever-brilliant beta, foamyfan15010.

Inuyasha kept quiet as he and Kagome headed home after school. She probably noticed his short answers and slight scowl, but he didn't care.

He was honestly quite angry with her. He didn't know why she was going out with another guy when she had him. Oh, he knew that this Hojo person was useful in helping her with school, but he also knew that this same boy was interested in Kagome the same way he was. To Inuyasha, that meant that Hojo was a rival.

He felt insecure because Kagome had known Hojo a lot longer than Inuyasha had known her, and unlike him, Hojo was human. Hojo was also a resident of this time and was obviously more knowledgeable to things in this world since they went to the same school.

He felt scared too, unsure of what he would do if Kagome picked Hojo over him, and then he would be out of luck; moreover, he would be even more out of place alone and stuck in this strange time.

After all, she was all he had here, and if she chose someone else in front of him, it would just kill him.

So he had to quickly reveal his feelings to her, but he didn't know how. He had little experience with this romantic stuff, and he certainly didn't want to screw up and make things worse.

When they got home, he was even more upset since Mrs. Higurashi had cleaned the spare room that was officially becoming his. Now that he had his own room, he could no longer spend nights with Kagome and indulge in her wonderful scent. He wondered if they would ever experience a memorable night like that again.

Instead, he was moved to the spare room on the bottom floor of the house. Kagome's room was above his, but he could barely recognize her scent, and the only things he could hear were her light footsteps.

When they settled in bed for the night, Inuyasha murmured a good night to her, reminding her that he would walk her to school again since he had nothing to do. He removed his modern clothes down to his underwear, ready to jump into his futon. As he lied in his bed musing over his issues with Kagome, he suddenly heard a slight knocking on his door after all the lights had gone out.

His ears perked up, and he hoped that it was Kagome coming to see him. When he pulled back the shoji door, his hopes fell when he realized it was Souta.

"What?" Inuyasha snarled more than usual. Souta looked into his scowling face and slightly paled.

"Um…I need to talk to you about something," Souta whispered visibly gulping. "It's about Kagome."

Inuyasha moved out the way and invited him in. "This better be good, kid. I've had a crappy day."

Souta nodded. "Yeah, I could tell. Look, are you mad about Hojo?"

Inuyasha's ears flickered at the name. He gave Souta a miffed look. "What of it?" he said before walking away and plopping roughly onto his futon.

"Well, you should be," Souta quipped, crossing his arms. Inuyasha's eyes widened at Souta's tone.

"And why should I be worried about that stupid kid?" Inuyasha spat. Souta could see Inuyasha's fists clench. Souta inwardly smirked to Inuyasha's disposition.

"Because he'll probably steal her away from you," Souta answered, and Inuyasha felt rage swelling up inside him.

"Keh," he said pouting. "What the hell am I supposed to do about it?"

Souta's eyes widened. For the first time ever, Inuyasha did not deny that he wanted Kagome. In fact, he could tell from the hanyou's tone that he was seriously worried. Souta didn't actually believe Hojo could take Kagome away from Inuyasha, but the two of them were too stubborn to admit their feelings. Obviously, the tension was still between them, and even now when their quest was over and Inuyasha was living with them, their relationship had still progressed very little.

Souta felt it was up to him to fix it, so he played instigator. He only hoped Inuyasha would get a clue.

"Well, you see, even when Kagome is gone, Hojo comes over here, bringing her gifts and supporting her. He's very attached to my sister, and I'm pretty sure Kagome likes it when he lavishes her with gifts. Mom says Hojo is a real gentleman, and I can't see Kagome refusing that," Souta answered, watching Inuyasha's expression contort into rage and disappointment. As Souta caked on how wonderful Hojo was, Inuyasha seemed to buckle under the pressure. "So you see, all girls like to get presents and to be treated like queens, and Hojo totally does that for her. It's only a matter of time until things get serious between them."

"Serious?" Inuyasha asked.

Souta almost laughed to his next line. "Well, yeah, like kissing and stuff. Sooner or later, my sister's going to be sucking face with that guy, then they'll get married, have lots of babies, and you'll have to baby sit."

"I'll have to what?" Inuyasha raged, and then he subdued his temper and lowered his voice not to wake everyone up.

"Settle down already," Souta said, waving his hands at him. Inuyasha was positively enraged at such an idea. He was audibly growling and staring at the wall as if he was going to bust it down. He cracked his knuckles and fury stirred in his golden eyes. Souta was actually scared to get any closer to him. He hoped he wasn't pushing him too far. "You can do something about it."

"What the hell can I do about it? I don't have any way to give her gifts. I don't have any money, and I don't know where to take her on dates. I don't know anything about this time or how things work. How can I compete with that?" Inuyasha lashed at him.

Souta lifted up his chin and looked at him confidently. "Duh, you're Inuyasha, hero of the Feudal Era and victor against all evil! Besides, you can always get a job if you need money. I know Mom was able to get your papers today. So now that you have an identity, you can get a job and then buy Kagome presents and take her to nice places. And don't worry about deciding on where to take her; just leave that to me."

"Feh, I guess so," Inuyasha snorted, still feeling doubtful. "I hope you're right. I don't want that bozo any where near Kagome, but she seems to think nothing is wrong."

"Well then you got to look better than him…cooler. I know you can do it since that guy is such a major square. I mean, look at yourself compared to him! Has Hojo fought demons?" Souta asked, and Inuyasha shook his head.

"Has Hojo been on great adventures with her?" Again, Inuyasha shook his head.

"Can Hojo protect Kagome with a sword?" Souta paused and then concluded. "Does Hojo have dog ears?" Inuyasha gave him a strange look.

"Oh, come on, it's so obvious she digs your ears. You should see what she writes about them in her diary," stated Souta. Inuyasha was thankful the darkness of the room hid his blush.

Souta cleared his throat hiding his snigger as Inuyasha remained dead silent, processing all the information he gave him.

"So all I have to do is get a job so I can buy Kagome stuff?" Inuyasha scratched his head. "And then what?"

"Tell her your feelings, obviously," Souta sighed in exasperation. How could he be so dense? And then Souta saw Inuyasha visibly swallow even in the dark.

"I – I guess I should," Inuyasha stuttered, realizing he had no choice. If he didn't tell Kagome fast, maybe he would lose her to that Hojo kid, and he certainly didn't want to be around when she kissed him, let alone watch over their kids! And he felt that he would rip the guy's arms off if he even considered touching his Kagome. He sighed. "I'll look for a job tomorrow, I guess."

Souta beamed brightly, hoping that his encouragement (as wacky as it was) would motivate Inuyasha to finally get together with his sister.

It would definitely relieve the house of some extra tension. Things would even be more interesting when their relationship went beyond kissing, and finding them in awkward times would put the spice back into this boring old shrine.

"Well, great," Souta said finally while yawning. "Now that you know what needs to be done, I guess I'll be off. Just think about it, Inuyasha. Night!"

Inuyasha nodded dumbly as Souta left, and then the gears started turning in his mind about what he could do to win Kagome away from Hojo, and to finally tell her how he really felt. And then he felt warmth pool between his legs, and he closed his eyes as he thought about holding her and rubbing his hands over her soft skin. He gritted his teeth at the coldness of the solitary room, knowing that all his thoughts were merely thoughts, and only touching her for real would subdue his want.

He wished the day would come soon where he could hold her without reservation.

***

As she came down the stairs that morning, Kagome felt a hitch in her throat as she gazed upon Inuyasha's form. She definitely would have to get used to him wearing modern clothing, especially when he looked so good in them.

Today he was wearing a black bandana over his ears. He wore a white wife-beater shirt with a black netted see-through top over it. He wore loose fitting black jeans, and as he stood in the kitchen helping her mom, Kagome could tell they were barely hanging over his hips. Then she saw a reflective material poking out the top of his pants, no doubt his boxers underneath.

And then she couldn't help herself, imaging him with nothing on but those boxers and black bandana, and the image reeled in her mind almost giving her a nosebleed. She blushed, slightly bothered by the onslaught of sexual emotions so early in the morning. Kagome wondered if every morning would be like this. She was afraid that one of these days she wouldn't be able to restrain herself from pouncing on him. That quick fantasy alone made her feel hot between her legs.

"Good morning!" she chirped, trying to push the heated feelings away from her mind. Inuyasha turned around with the same scowl on his face from yesterday. She slumped in her seat at the table, feeling horrible as she realized he was still mad at her about Hojo.

"Um…so Inuyasha, are you going to walk me to school today?" she asked as he approached the table. He set her breakfast in front of her and walked back into the kitchen.

"Yeah, if you want," he answered, but not looking at her as he continued to set the table for everyone else. He sat down next to her but did not look at her. "I have to go look for a job today anyway. Your mom gave me my papers and hanko stamp."

He handed them to her, and she looked them over. "So you're going to be Takei Koji legally. That's great, Inuyasha, but why do you need a job right away?"

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders. "Just don't want to be bored."

"But I'm sure grandpa needs some help around the shrine. He could pay you for that," Kagome suggested.

"Hn," he agreed, staring at his food with little interest. "Doesn't matter, I just need some money."

Kagome seemed interested now, and she stared at him intently. "What for?"

He suddenly appeared uncomfortable, and she cocked her head to him. What was he up to?

"Uh … just something. Don't worry about it," he finally turned to her and flashed a mysterious smile. She felt her insides shiver hotly. He leaned in next to her and whispered, "It's a surprise."

"Okay," Kagome weakly chirped, and then her family said their grace and began eating breakfast. Once in awhile her eyes traveled back to Inuyasha, who seemed mildly content with the world. She was dying to know what he was up to, and the secrecy was even more tantalizing. She only hoped this surprise involved her.

When they got ready to leave for school, she immediately grabbed Inuyasha's hand as he walked beside her, and he didn't seem to object. Actually, he had clutched her fingers tightly, and he flashed her that same mysterious smile when he caught her looking at him.

She was positively on edge. What was he planning? What was he hiding? She bit her lip from the anxiety.

Kagome was mulling over things so much in her mind that she didn't realize a lot of time had gone by when they were walking, and she had already arrived at school.

He stopped as they stood outside the front gates of her school. Neither one of them released each other's hands, staring at each other and unsure how to say good-bye. Actually, neither one of them wanted to part, but the hard thing was communicating that.

Several people walked by them, noticing the scene and whispering in curiosity. A lot of people were jealous of Kagome, eyeing Inuyasha as a delectable piece of meat.

"Well…I have to go," Kagome finally said. She felt Inuyasha squeeze her hand. She felt this sudden urge to kiss him, but that would seem rushed and out of character. They hadn't even gotten that far before. Besides, both of them seemed too uncomfortable enough for public displays of affection, so she had to subdue her own urges.

She didn't even know how he really felt about her.

She saw him give her a small smile, and then reluctantly let go of her hands. "Good luck on studying tonight." She then noticed pain swirling in his eyes.

He was seriously bothered by the fact that she was going with Hojo tonight. She wished she could change all that and be with him, but it wasn't like she even cared about Hojo in a romantic way. Her meeting with Hojo was about school, and her feelings could never be the same as they were when she thought about Inuyasha.

"Um…could you come after my study date? The library closes at 5:30 so that's about as long as we'll be studying," Kagome said, and she took off her watch and handed it to him.

He looked at the watch and nodded at her. "Sure, I'll be there."

"Good luck on finding a job." She winked at him, and he couldn't help but inwardly beam.

"Thanks." He grinned mischievously, and he noticed she was blushing. He turned around and waved as he walked away. Kagome stood swooning for a moment, watching his form from behind.

She was anxious more than ever for 5:30 to roll around.

***

Inuyasha felt much happier after taking Kagome to school. He felt reassured as Kagome only seemed to consider this thing with Hojo nothing more than academic, and he could tell she anticipated seeing him later on.

Now, all he had to do was follow Souta's advice and find a job, so he began walking toward downtown Tokyo, hoping that he'd find something to his liking. In his pocket he kept his new identification papers, and he was grateful for the lengths that Kagome's mom had gone to give them to him. Kagome had told him it wasn't exactly legal what she did, but her mom had a lot of contacts in the government thanks to her dad, so it wasn't much of a problem. As long as he kept a low profile, nobody would ever question his residency.

Souta had told him that morning about the sorts of jobs he could get. He advised looking for jobs involving strength, like lifting or stocking supplies at a store. He even said that Inuyasha could get a job in the postal service in the back lifting and sorting mail, and interacting very little with people. Yet, Inuyasha didn't know about sorting stuff, and that job actually sounded boring to him.

It seemed hopeless, but he really didn't know what was out there, so he just had to look around.

"Excuse me!" Inuyasha was broken out of his reverie from a strong raspy female voice behind him. He turned around to the source of the voice.

A petite, long-haired woman looked at him with wide eyes and gaping mouth. "Wow, you're perfect!"

Inuyasha looked at her as if she was crazy. "Huh?" he replied rather dumbly.

The woman brought out a yellow measuring tape and began shifting it in various positions in front of his body.

"Uh…what are you doing?" he asked with confusion. This woman was certainly nutty, and he hoped she wasn't ill or something.

"Lift up your arms like this for me once," she ordered, lifting her own arms out parallel to the ground to show him. He automatically complied, feeling more stupefied than antagonistic to the crazy woman's requests.

She exhaled a gust of air from her gaping mouth and clucked her tongue in approval. "I knew it! You are perfect! Oh, I'm lucky! My ass has been so saved!"

"Um…are you alright, lady?" Inuyasha asked, even more confused as the woman happily rambled on.

"Oh!" she yelled in surprise. "I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself. Wow, you must really think I'm nuts." She chuckled and gave him a piece of paper, a card with names and words on it. "My card - I'm Riho Taguchi, photographer of the male clothing line, Enamor."

He didn't respond and continued to give her a deadpan expression.

"Um…yeah, so as I was saying, you're perfect. Most people would be jumping for joy if I said that to them, especially since I'm a well-known and award-winning photographer and my photos are featured in hundreds of best selling publications." She flashed him a blinding smile.

He still didn't seem impressed, and Inuyasha looked at her as if she was speaking a foreign language.

"Um…so you'd be perfect for my photo that I have a deadline on today. My normal model ditched me, and I'm in desperate need for a fill-in. Unfortunately the photo is for a rather alternative magazine so my guy has to have more of an exotic look, and well, Japan has very few exotic looking people crawling around on the street. I'd be so grateful if you'd help me out!" she pleaded, bowing to him. Inuyasha felt stunned.

Then he suddenly realized what this woman was asking. "Is this a job?"

The woman looked up at him. "Of course! You'd be compensated handsomely for it. I was paying the last guy 30,000 yen per picture, but since you're an amateur I'd be willing to pay you half that for one picture, which still isn't bad. I need a total of ten pictures," she said rather quickly, and the amount of money didn't really concern him at this point, but he was satisfied that this job would even pay him. He nodded, and then the woman began to dance in elation.

"Oh! This is great! Thank you! You will not regret it!" The woman then suddenly pulled on his hand and led him swiftly down the street and into a building. As they made their way inside, Inuyasha's senses were on alert as he looked around this new environment.

Suddenly, they stopped in front of a room filled with weird contraptions as a light shined down on the center of the room. Many other people scurried about engrossed in their own particular duties.

Riho leaned into him and whispered in his ear. "Now, don't be nervous. It'll be a quick and painless shoot. I'll even throw in an extra 10,000 yen for a final private picture." Inuyasha saw the woman look him up and down grinning hungrily.

"Private picture?" he asked. Riho waved her hand listlessly in the air.

"Nothing big and standard issue; you have an option to let me take a picture with or without our clothing on," she smirked at his quizzical look.

"Then what would I be wearing?" Inuyasha seemed confused, but whatever they wanted of him didn't involve killing, pain or anything too extreme. He deducted from the woman's description that he'd be getting paid for basically wearing their clothing and just standing there. But with the way she was smirking made him think that there was something else involved in all this.

"Well, it's not what you'll be wearing, it's what you won't be wearing," she said cryptically. She grinned more than the muscles in her face could really handle. "You'll be completely naked, actually."

"WHAT?" he yelled. She giggled nervously and shushed him.

"Come on, it's only for an extra 10,000 yen. Besides, it's only one picture, quick and dirty. You have nothing to worry about," she confirmed. "Of course, it depends on how desperate you are for money."

Inuyasha glared at her. He didn't really care about nudity; in fact, he didn't know what the big deal was about it. However, he was not dumb enough to realize that this woman was going to take a nude picture of him for something perverted, and he started to associate her with a female version of Miroku, wondering if that was really possible.

However, she was right. He did need the money, and he really didn't have to do anything to get it. An extra chunk of money could really get Kagome something special. He bit his lip as the woman stared at him, awaiting his response.

He felt a mental nudge, and then nodded while giving her a stern glare. "Fine, do what you want. The only thing I ask is that the bandana stays on at all times."

The photographer gave him a curious look and then chuckled. "Fine, fine, I wouldn't want my readers to see your bad dye job either." She began pushing him forward and then called over some girls that worked for her.

"Okay then, it's time for you to get ready. Yuri and Ruki, get Mr. – uh?"

"Inuyasha," he replied.

"Cute. Get Mr. Inuyasha ready for the shoot, and bring out that black silky article first," she ordered, and the girls bowed to her direction.

"Yes ma'am," they said in sync, and then they pulled Inuyasha back into the dressing room preparing him for the shoot.

TBC…


	5. On the Catwalk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to foamyfan15010 for beta'ing. This chapter is dedicated to jojo-kun, who made some delicious fanart for me of this story. YOU ROCK!

Kagome tapped the tip of her pen on her lip, and drowned out Hojo's voice as she stared at the drawing in the margin of her notebook. The drawing was obviously much more interesting that Hojo's tutelage, which was only about Calculus theorems and equations. She looked up once in awhile and met his gaze to let him know she was at least paying attention, but in reality, she wasn't.

In fact, she had been distracted all day. She felt ashamed of herself for not concentrating on her studies, but she just couldn't get the way Inuyasha looked this morning out of her mind.

'I can't believe I'm thinking this way … feeling this way.' She bit on her lip, and just like a video reel, the back of Inuyasha's form played over again in her mind. Slowly, she immersed herself in his curves, the way the modern clothes snugly fit over his body, and how his muscles stretched and shaped the material of his shirt over his chest.

The image was so vivid in her mind that she couldn't help herself from thinking about it – even drawing it in the margins of her boring Calculus notes.

"Kagome?" She blinked as Hojo's voice brought her out of her reverie. She looked up at him with a blank expression.

"Huh? Did you say something?" she asked quickly, slightly embarrassed by her lack of attention.

Hojo smiled good-naturedly. "I asked if you were ready for a practice quiz. I made out some mock quizzes to go over. I think these may be on the exam tomorrow. If you want, you can do them in the half hour we have left, and then I can go over them for you before you leave. How's that sound?"

Kagome nodded, suddenly feeling stupid. Hojo was taking time out to help her, and she was in Lala land thinking about all the many things she could do to Inuyasha without his clothes on. She should have been studying instead, and she hated the fact that she'd gotten so distracted.

And there was only a half hour left until she got to see Inuyasha again.

She didn't know what had suddenly gotten into her. When she'd first realized she loved Inuyasha, she hadn't looked at him in a way that made her insides feel hot. No, in the beginning, Inuyasha was like a fairytale hero to her. He was amazing and she felt she could depend on him to protect her. It had been a little girl's crush, and ever since she'd woken up next to him that morning, she hadn't felt like a little girl anymore.

Every day she'd begun to feel more like a woman. Though, she realized that it was three years ago since she'd first fell into the well and met Inuyasha, and now she was eighteen. This was her last year of high school, and next year she'd really be an adult by going to college and finding a career.

Back then it never seemed that things would go further hand holding, sporadically kissing, and even holding each other on cold nights.

She'd never even thought about more – until now.

The lead on her pencil broke, and she stared distractedly at the geometric shapes and formulas on her practice quiz. Kagome sighed, and Hojo offered her a pencil sharpener. She shook her thoughts out of her head and stared fiercely at the math problems in front of her.

This was not the time to daydream. She only had a half an hour left of this torture, and then she'd be free. She'd then be awarded for her hard work with the image of a sexy, silver-haired, golden-eyed man with reaching for her hand.

Kagome licked her lips and began focusing on the problems. With that final thought in mind, she was even more motivated to do her work.

***

 

Inuyasha stared sternly at the stark spotlights as he lounged on a soft, velvet black couch. He was getting bored with this, and Riho's noisy babbling was getting on his last nerve. He was glad that this was the last of the ten pictures, and had surmised while suffering through all of the other pictures, that he was not going to agree to the naked picture.

And although he didn't mind the nudity, he would not do something perverted for this woman's pleasure. Sure, he needed the money, but did he really need it that badly?

There was one last flash of light, and Riho bounced triumphantly from behind the tall tripod and camera. She walked over to him, gave him a thumb's up and then turned to some lackey to get her a victory latte.

Inuyasha sighed and stood up as a couple of girls stared at him hungrily expecting him to eventually drop his shorts.

"Now, just one picture left, Mr. Inuyasha!" Riho smiled widely with blindingly white teeth.

"Yeah, about that…" he said to her, and she looked at him expectantly.

"I've changed my mind. I don't want to do any other pictures. Especially that one," he said, tugging at the elastic on the underwear. "Besides, I think it's bad enough you had me wear these strange clothes."

Riho gaped at him, giving him a look in disbelief to what she was hearing.

"Strange clothes?" she muttered. Inuyasha crossed his arms and looked away.

"Whadda ya mean you won't do it! You agreed to it!" she seethed as she threw her arms in the air frantically as she lost her temper. "And how dare you call these designs strange! These are the top summer designs of 2005! Many men in Japan would KILL to wear these for their girlfriends!"

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. All these pictures are for perverted purposes. That's why I won't do the last one. Who the hell knows what you're going to do with that picture," Inuyasha said with his nose still in the air. "I only want one woman to see me like that, and it certainly ain't you."

"Oh, har har…a man with a pure heart, how noble," Riho slurred sarcastically. "Though I gotta admit, I don't blame you for thinking that about the nude picture. However, you've got me all wrong."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Inuyasha scoffed.

"Though it may have seemed my intentions were perverted in the beginning, it is not the case. I'm offended you would label me as such," she said, mirroring his stance with her nose in the air.

"I don't care, anyway. So just give me what I earned, and I'll go. I have to be somewhere in twenty minutes anyway," he snarled.

"Wait!" She waved her hands in front of her, and her expression changed from angry to pleading. Inuyasha noticed she seemed really desperate. "I'm sorry I led you to believe that the last picture was for porn, but really it's not!"

He watched her intently, his silence indicating that he would allow her to continue.

"The truth is… I'm not a major photographer like I said I was. Sure, I've had images in Enamor, but only as an assistant to other famous photographers. I've been really struggling to make ends meet lately, and my sensei, Takeda Oogami, is giving me one last chance before he decides to fire me. He gave me some petty cash out of his funds and told me to find someone really unusual looking to wear his designs. If I didn't find someone by 9 p.m. tonight, he told me he'd fire me and not give me any recommendations. He also said that if I could get this person to also pose naked, mainly for a life drawing textbook photo, he wouldn't consider firing me again for another three months." She clasped her hands together and knelt before Inuyasha while bowing her head. "I beg you, please do this. I have a younger brother I need to take care of. If I'm fired, we'll most likely be thrown out onto the streets."

Inuyasha was speechless, and all he could hear throughout the room was Riho's sniffling as she knelt in front of him.

"How can I believe you? I don't even know you," he said with a sigh. She began to cry harder, squeaking in between breaths.

"Please. I promise you I'm not lying. It's not for porn, really it's not. It's for an academic textbook."

'Yeah, right,' was his first thought, but the girl did seem really desperate, and deep down inside, he had this itching reaction to help people again. He may have been around Kagome too much, but it seemed like he was always helping humans with their problems, so he must be getting used to it.

He looked down at Riho who was still staring down at the floor crying and shivering in front of him.

"Fine, I'll do it, but only one. Got that? And if you scam me and I find out that this is for something I did not agree on, I will find you and kick you and your brother out on the street myself. Understood?" She looked up at him and in his intense golden eyes; she knew that he was serious. He would help her, but he was serious about payback if things didn't turn out as planned.

She swallowed uncomfortably and nodded. "I promise."

About five quick minutes went by as they set up the lighting for the picture. Finally, Inuyasha reluctantly dropped the designer underwear, lounged on the sofa again, and bit his lip in irritation.

"This better not be a scam," he said to himself under his breath, and stared sternly into the lens of the camera. Riho didn't bother telling Inuyasha to smile. She didn't want to try telling him anything at this point because he was angry enough.

As she eyed that perfect muscular form and exposed male package, she swallowed hard and was thankful for what she could get.

***

Inuyasha watched as Riho confidently counted out the money into his hand. He was a little skeptical of her behavior since fifteen minutes before she was weeping and begging him to do a nude picture. Her jubilant disposition had returned, and it made him uncomfortable about the picture again. He hated to have to live up to his threat if she really was going to scam him.

"There, that's 160,000 Yen, just as promised," she said with that bubbly tone again. He grabbed the money and slammed it into his pocket, glaring at the girl. She gave him a sheepish smile.

"So…thank you again for saving my ass! I promise you that you aren't being scammed. I know it happens a lot these days, but I assure you that is not the case," she reassured, but Inuyasha still seemed unconvinced. "Look, is there anyway, you know, that you'd want to do this again?"

"Feh, fuck no," Inuyasha said, inwardly shuddering. He'd like to put this whole incident behind him. He only hoped Souta was right and this money thing was going to solve his problems with Kagome's rival suitor.

"Well, too bad, once you get that dye job cleared up, I think you could progress into a top model. You should really think about it." She winked at him, and Inuyasha couldn't believe the broad was actually serious. He also couldn't believe he was actually considering the offer! "Well, if you change your mind, you have my card. Call me anytime."

Inuyasha nodded dumbly, and then quickly shook the thoughts from his mind. He glanced at the clock on the wall, cursed, and then left the studio without saying good-bye. Riho watched him with satisfaction as he left.

"Excuse me, Riho?" a voice behind her said, and she turned around expectantly.

"So? Did you find out anything, Yuri?" Riho asked right away.

"Yes, I went through his clothes while he was out here and found his identification papers. You were right about 'Inuyasha' being an alias. He's actually called Takei Koji, and he resides at a Shinto shrine in the western part of the city. I got his current address, but his papers said something about his last residence being in Tibet," Yuri informed her, and Riho raised her eyebrow at the last part.

"Good work. I'm not letting a specimen like that slip through my fingers. Once my sensei gets on my case again for not enough good pictures, I'll just look him up again and persuade him to do more," Riho smiled wickedly, reminiscing on the memories of the young, muscular man lounged out on her velvet sofa in the photography studio.

'And, I have a feeling that I can persuade him to work for me again,' Riho thought inwardly as she began preparing to develop her pictures.

***

Kagome waved goodbye to Hojo and sprinted out of the library. She'd never had a more boring study date, and she hoped that when she told Inuyasha that, he would finally be at ease.

It was obvious to her that he was mad out of jealousy, and even though it made her uncomfortable, it was definitely a good sign that maybe he had the same feelings.

After all, she had woken up to him that one morning with his arms wrapped around her waist and his face snuggled into her hair.

Outside the library, Kagome noticed that the sun was setting into evening, with the Tokyo lights and colors of the sky were meshing to form a beautiful, pre-dusk lighting. She inhaled, looking around expectantly as she ran to the gates of her school, and then smiled as she saw a shadow leaning against the stone pillars waiting for her. He moved into the light, and Kagome felt her shoulders relax as her eyes fell upon the person she had been daydreaming about all afternoon.

Her eyes traveled over his body quickly, refreshing the image that had been haunting her all day long.

"Inuyasha! I'm done!" she called out as she ran up to him, and right away he took her bag.

"Good. Ready to go home?" he asked, and as he looked at her, she noticed he couldn't stop smiling. It was very unlike Inuyasha, so she wondered if he had good news.

"So, did you find a job today?" she asked.

He nodded and then held his hand out to her as she took it. "Yeah, but it was only a one time thing."

"Oh? Good for you, Inuyasha. So what was the job?" She looked at him curiously. He turned his head away and was hoping that the pre-dusk shadows would hide his blush.

"Well, that's not important since it didn't last," he said, and chuckled lightly. "The important thing is that I got paid for it."

"Inuyasha, did you get fired after the first day?" Kagome sighed in exasperation. She had terrible visions of him hurting his supervisor, or worse, losing his temper and accidentally clawing at something.

"What? No!" Inuyasha replied, offended. "It just wasn't a permanent kind of job." And when she saw him swallow uncomfortably, she was more curious more than ever.

She only hoped he didn't sell his body or something. 'Silly Kagome, he wouldn't do that! This is Inuyasha!' And she gave him a hopeful smile.

"So, what are you going to do with the money again?" she pried. He raised an eyebrow and gave her a sly look.

"Nice try. I told you it was a surprise," he responded and laughed at her final pout.

"Oh, but Inuyasha, the suspense is killing me! I want to know why you need the money so badly. Can't you at least give me a clue?" she pleaded. He looked at her and felt himself buckling.

'Damn her!' And he hated his failing resolve to almost give in.

"Fine, I'll give you a hint. The surprise involves you," he said finally, looking away smugly.

"Oh! That doesn't help at all! Now I want to know more than ever!" she raged, stomping her foot. Inuyasha chuckled at her, thinking about how cute she looked when she was angry.

He smirked at her, studying her face and protruding lip as she glared at him. He was very close to giving into her silent demands, but restrained himself. He hoped that the surprise would be worth it.

'Then there will be no more study dates with anyone,' he inwardly promised himself. He was still nervous about advancing their relationship, and although he had some doubts, he was confident that Kagome would finally accept him.

'Because I really don't have anyone else,' he mused, and stole a glance at her before turning his head away and looking ahead. Kagome must have noticed his glance, and she leaned into him, squeezing his hand tightly and then leaning her head on his upper arm.

They continued to walk like that all the way home.

***

Riho Taguchi slipped into her sensei's grandiose design studio late that evening and confidently held her new photos under her arm. She had failed so many times before, but she honestly believed that this would be her big break.

As usual, her sensei Takeda Oogami was yelling at underlings trying to get him lattes and sandwiches and then violently musing over negatives. He was always cursing and tearing up whole sheets of negatives if just one wasn't perfect. He seemed to believe that if there was just one bad negative on the test sheet, the rest of them were bad as well.

"Sensei!" Riho spoke in a commanding voice trying to get his attention. He turned around slowly and glared at the person who dared interrupt him. When he saw who it was, he slumped his shoulders and sighed.

"Oh it's just you, pea-brain. Have you brought me a stack of failures again? I hope this is not the last day you'll be working for me," he said with an air of haughtiness, but Riho stared at him squarely, not flinching at his nasty words.

"I think you'll appreciate the great model I found today, sir," she said with a sharp tone in her address to him. He scoffed and held out his hand, looking away from her.

"Well, then, let's have a look, shall we?" He yawned, and Riho had to restrain herself from losing her temper at his attitude.

He wrinkled his brow and put on the glasses hanging around his neck to look clearly at the pictures. When he glanced at the first one of the exotic looking model, he studied him wearing a pair of his snug shimmering black briefs. He cocked his head, staring at the muscle tone and shape of the model's body.

Riho almost laughed when she heard a gasp escape from his mouth. Quickly, Takeda leafed through the other pictures, gasping at each of them and then celebrating audibly with sporadic sounds of joy.

"Oh, tres magnifique! Where did you find this delicious man? Did you get a contact number? And oh!" He looked down hungrily at the last picture. "You even got him to pose for the art book. Wonderful! We'll publish these pictures tonight."

His attitude completely turned, and he was looking at Riho as if she was his dearest friend. "Excellent work, Riho! This makes up for every horrible piece of crap you've ever brought me."

Riho forced a smile. "Thank you, sir. So, does this mean I can keep my job?"

"Keep your job! Don't be silly; you have a new job!" he replied excitedly.

The color from Riho's face completely drained. "New…job?"

"Of course! Now, in addition to my assistant, you must find this guy again and come have him work for me…permanently!" Takeda announced, laughing and leafing through the pictures again. He threw them into the air wistfully and danced in celebration around the studio.

Riho felt a knot form in her throat. She held back the reflex to frown. 'Damn, I hope I can get him back here again.' And given the attitude that model had, Riho definitely knew it was going to be easy.

TBC…


	6. First Date

By the time Inuyasha and Kagome arrived home that evening, Inuyasha wanted to show Souta his earnings and get advice on the next step. However, Souta wasn't home when they got there, and he was disappointed to hear that he wouldn't be home until later that evening. Kagome's mother informed them Souta was traveling home from an out of town Soccer final.

So that next Saturday morning, Inuyasha took the opportunity to corner him first thing before he woke up. From his new room he awoke at dawn's first light, and then snuck quietly upstairs into Souta's bedroom.

He looked down at the boy, sleeping soundly and producing a slight snore from his nostrils. Inuyasha watched him for a moment, wrinkled his nose and lightly poked him.

He jabbed him softly at first, waited a few seconds, and when his motion produced no response, he jabbed him harder, waited, and then did it again. After the last jab, Souta only snored more loudly, swatted the air on reflex and turned over.

Inuyasha groaned with impatience. Finally he started whispering in his ear, "Hey, kid, wake up."

No, whispering didn't work either.

By this time, Inuyasha was close to losing his temper. He had enough experience with Shippo's lazy morning moments on their travels to know just what to do to get Souta quickly out of bed.

However, there was no cold river to drop Souta in, so Inuyasha had to improvise. He did remember there was a bathroom down the hall.

And after disappearing for a few moments, Inuyasha returned to Souta's side with a sure fire way to wake him. He only hoped that a basin of cold water would be enough.

He lifted the small tub over Souta's head, sighed, and tried once more to stir him awake with his voice.

"Souta, wake up," Inuyasha said, and he heard the boy murmur.

"…but it's Saturday, Mom," he mumbled, and Inuyasha exhaled in frustration. He felt his muscles tighten under the weight of the tub, and then he promptly turned it over.

"EEYA—" Souta tried to scream but Inuyasha promptly clamped a hand over his mouth. Souta looked up with terror, shivering as he realized that Inuyasha was sitting next to him.

Inuyasha cocked his ears, listening for anyone who might have been alerted by Souta's surprise. He heard Souta muffling behind his hand. He let go, and Souta glared at him through sopping wet hair.

"What are you doing?" Souta yelled, and Inuyasha flapped his arms to have him keep his voice down. Souta glowered at him for an answer.

"I need you to wake up and help me plan to take Kagome out tonight," Inuyasha whispered in a hiss.

Souta looked at him shocked, and then he furrowed his brow in anger. "You woke me up at 5 a.m. on a Saturday for THAT? Are you crazy?" he hissed, and then Inuyasha gave him a stern look.

"No, I'm impatient; now keep your voice down so we can do this," Inuyasha huffed, crossing his arms.

Souta gave him a desperate look. "Couldn't this have waited another four hours or so? Do realize that I got in late last night? I'm sooo freakin' tired!"

Inuyasha ignored the pleading look that Souta was giving him, and then pressed on. "Stop whining. You can sleep all you want after you help me. Now …" He paused, and then he reached within his robe and pulled out the wad of cash. Souta's eyes widened at the bundle of money, and his mouth gaped in awe. Inuyasha shoved the money in his face. "Here's the money you told me to get, so what's the next step?"

"Well, uh…" Souta stuttered, unable to focus with the hunk of cash staring him in the face. "I suppose you could take her to dinner."

"Dinner? Like fix her dinner?" Inuyasha asked, and then Souta suddenly imagined Inuyasha killing boars for Kagome and then grilling them on a skewer. He coughed to suppress a laugh.

"No, what I mean is, take her out to dinner to a nice restaurant. Girls think it's romantic, or something," Souta said, yawning. "Then I suppose after that you could take her to a nice hotel."

"Hotel?" Inuyasha scratched his head. "Like an inn?"

"Well, yeah …"

"And what would we do …oh," Inuyasha paused. Then his cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. "Oh!" He cleared his throat, and tried to push away all the perverted thoughts. He shook his head violently and Souta thought he might have a seizure. "No, no, I think the restaurant is good … for now." Inuyasha coughed.

'Gees, are you really male?' Souta thought, but he didn't dare say it aloud. Inuyasha's awkwardness toward his sister was really annoying. He wondered what sort of things they taught kids about sex back in the feudal era, or rather, what they didn't teach them. And gees, wasn't Inuyasha over sixty years old? Souta gave him a pitying look.

"Now look, can't you just wait until tomorrow? I have a friend whose older brother works at this really great Italian restaurant in the Shibuyu district. If you give me a little time, I can –"

"I don't have much time. It has to be tonight!" Inuyasha interrupted. Souta was taken aback by the defiance in his voice.

"Why?"

"Because tonight I'm turning human," Inuyasha exhaled in exasperation. He looked down at the hands in his lap. "I'm going to be human, so I won't have to wear all these stupid hats, and I won't have people staring at me. It shouldn't be about me; it should be about Kagome."

Souta yawned again, and then thought, 'How sweet … blech.' And then he began to eye his soft looking pillow to the right. He really wanted to go back to bed, but Inuyasha was being quite persistent in the matter. Souta looked over at him through sleepy eyes and noticed that he wasn't going to budge.

"Fine!" Souta sighed grumpily. "I'll help you, but you have to give me three more hours of sleep. When I get up, I'll call my friend and try to get you reservations. What you and my sister do after dinner is entirely up to you, and for my sake, when you do decide that, please spare me the details." Souta saw Inuyasha flush, and then he dived back underneath his covers, still damp from Inuyasha's earlier intrusion. Hell, he was tired, so he didn't much care at this point. Inuyasha scoffed at him. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get some sleep!"

Then, Inuyasha took that as his cue to leave.

***

Immediately after Souta woke up, Inuyasha was at his heels. Souta slightly perturbed by this, which in any normal situation, he would have been very pleased by Inuyasha's attention. Though now, Inuyasha was rushing him to finalize these plans with his friend so he could take Kagome out.

"Okay," Souta said, hanging up the phone and then giving Inuyasha a determined look. "Everything's set. My friend reserved you a really nice table in the restaurant. You're lucky that my friend owed me a favor; otherwise, you would have never gotten into that place. It's way too popular."

"Yeah, yeah." Inuyasha rolled his eyes; Souta continued to give him a hard look.

"Now, you're the one who owes me, Inu-ni-chan," he said, enunciating his nickname for him.

Inuyasha gave him a sly grin. "Don't worry, kid. I'll make it up to you. Just help me out with Kagome, and then you won't have to worry."

"Gawd, let's hope so," Souta snorted. "If you two finally get together, it'll make all of us relax a little bit."

Inuyasha cocked his head to that. How come Souta's family was so concerned on whether or not he confessed to Kagome? Come to think of it, Kagome's brother was awfully helpful when it came to his problems with his sister, and Inuyasha had thought was very odd. He gave Souta a scrutinizing look, and then cocked his head to the side.

Souta saw this, and then raised a brow. "What?"

"Nothing, now what's the plan, kid?" Inuyasha huffed.

"Well, you have reservations for dinner for two at the La Patata in the Shibuya-ku for 7 o'clock. It's an Italian restaurant, and I've heard for some reason girls think they're really romantic, so it should be good for you. After that, you're free to take her wherever you want," Souta explained.

"I-tay-run? What's that?" Inuyasha asked confused.

"It's a cuisine made in Italy," he replied, and Inuyasha still appeared to be clueless. Souta rolled his eyes. "It's another country far, far away from here," Souta added in a mocking story-telling voice. Inuyasha harrumphed. "They mostly serve noodles with either a red or white sauce. And lots of bread. Trust me, you'll like it."

Inuyasha nodded. "Just as long as you tell me where this place is, I'll take her there. Now how do I know they are expecting us?"

"The reservation is under Kagome's name. I couldn't remember your legal name so I used hers," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Don't worry; it should be fine."

"Well, alright then, everything's set," Inuyasha replied, looking determined again. He clenched his fist defiantly in the air. "This is going to be great. I'll treat Kagome well and beat that other kid's ass. Ha! Wait until Kagome finds out where I'm taking her!"

"Find out what?" she said behind him, surprising him. Inuyasha turned around with a guilty look on his face. Souta beamed, and then he nudged an elbow against Inuyasha's arm.

"Go for it, tiger," he laughed, and then Souta ran off into his room, most likely to spend a fulfilling day of playing video games.

When her brother was gone, Kagome put her hands on her hips and looked at Inuyasha expectantly. "So, where are you taking me? I heard you, you know."

"Well," Inuyasha said, swallowing. "You know that surprise I was talking about awhile ago when I needed money?" Kagome nodded quickly to allow him to continue. "Well, I'm taking you out tonight."

"Out? Out where?" Kagome asked, prodding him. Inuyasha fumbled his hands under his T-shirt, desperate for the same folds of material that he had with his fire rat robe.

Then, he inhaled a draught a breath and scowled, motivating himself to be tough and manly. He looked at her sternly. "I'm taking you out to dinner tonight at an I-tay-run restaurant at six o'clock. Be ready, okay?" Then, he bolted, quickly leaving Kagome as she gaped in awe.

"Inuyasha's taking me out to a fancy restaurant?" Her cheeks reddened in embarrassment. "Oh, wow."

She could feel tears ebbing at the sides of her eyes. She couldn't even imagine what it was going to be like tonight, but she had a feeling it was going to be special – because this was something that she had always dreamed about.

***

Around five thirty that same night, Kagome was ready. She cooped herself up into her bedroom and fiddled with her make-up and hair. She went through several dresses before she chose the right one, and then she looked at herself and imagined Inuyasha taking her arm and leading her into the restaurant. She giggled like a silly girl, feeling ready to faint.

'What had possessed him to want to take me out?' she had wondered. It wasn't like him at all to know anything about her culture, but it appeared that he was making the effort for her. Her brother, no doubt, seemed to have a hand in things, and she suspected Souta was the one who told Inuyasha about an Italian restaurant.

Still, she couldn't complain. What Inuyasha was doing was actually considered 'dating', and maybe he was finally accepting her time. She giggled again, and then pinched her cheeks for more of a blush effect. Turning her wrist, she glanced at her watch, realizing it was time to go. She stood up, smoothed out her sequined blue dress for the fiftieth time, grabbed her matching purse and headed out her bedroom.

***

Kagome came down the stairs and gasped as she saw Inuyasha waiting for her. She rudely pointed at him, noticing right away the big difference.

"You're human tonight!" she exclaimed, and he cackled at her.

"Obviously," he snorted playfully. She caught him looking her up and down, soaking in her image. He seemed entranced, taking in every one of her curves wrapped in the blue material. He inhaled a breath. "Wow, Kagome, you look … really great."

She smiled proudly and then blushed. Errantly, she smoothed the lapel of his jacket with a delicate touch. Her fingers ran over his tie, and she gave it a quick tug before dropping her hand to her side again. "Thanks, Inuyasha. So do you."

Inuyasha stood frozen, staring at her and delaying their date even further. Kagome smiled, but she got an impatient look on her face after awhile. Before she could say something, they heard whispering come from the living room. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Souta giving instructions to Inuyasha.

"Take her arm and get going, you dolt!" he hissed, and Inuyasha promptly shot him a glare before stiffly offering Kagome his arm. With a scowl, he made a motion to leave.

"It's time to go. Ready?" he asked, and Kagome nodded, stifling back a laugh. When Inuyasha wasn't looking, she turned around and stuck her tongue out at her brother.

"Well, since I'm human tonight, I can't really … you know, leap over buildings to get there. We're going to have to go there some other way, so your brother helped me call something called a 'taxi'. This taxi will drive us to the place," he informed her, and then looked down again at her expectantly. "Is that okay?"

"Of course!" she said happily, and she started to feel a swooning sensation in her belly. Then, she dropped Inuyasha's arm and took his hand. He pulled her close to him, and as they walked down the stares of the shrine, they noticed that the taxi wasn't there yet.

"Dammit, where is that guy?" Inuyasha swore in frustration, and then he pounded his fist into one of the wooden pillars of the shrine. He soon realized that it hurt more because he was human, and he massaged on his injured fist, muttering more obscenities.

Kagome watched him and giggled. "Don't worry, Inuyasha. It'll be fine. We can wait a little."

He snorted, "I hope so. I want this to be perfect." He looked away, realizing that maybe he had revealed too much. When he noticed she had not responded, he turned a cautious head to inquire of her silence. When he looked at her, he saw that she was looking at him affectionately.

"Don't worry; it is." And she squeezed his hand. Then, he pulled her softly into his chest and embraced her. She quickly wrapped her hands around his waist and smiled in contentment. As they pulled apart, they looked into each other's eyes, and both of them smiled shyly yet longingly. Inuyasha was about to bend down closer to her, but they were interrupted by a blaring beep.

Startled and perturbed, they turned their heads to see the taxi waiting for them. Inuyasha sighed and then took her hand again, leading her to the car and opening the door for her.

After telling the taxi where to go, they set off on their first date.

***

When they got out of the taxi, they stepped in front of the restaurant, La Patata, and gaped at the place. Constructed of gorgeous architecture and filtering with classical music inside, both of them shivered in its presence.

"Wow," Kagome said breaking the silence. "This place looks amazing."

"Yeah," Inuyasha said nervously. He looked inside the restaurant and saw people eating strange plates of red noodles with metal looking utensils. He cocked a brow at this. "This place is weird."

Kagome laughed at him, and then the host came up to them with a scowl on his face, mostly likely in earshot of Inuyasha's comment.

"Welcome to La Patata, the most revered Italian restaurant in Shibuya. Do the madam and gentleman have a reservation?" he asked, not looking at Inuyasha but staring at Kagome. Inuyasha instinctively growled.

"Yes, we do," Inuyasha replied almost warningly, and with that tone, the man gave Inuyasha his immediate attention. "Higurashi for 7 o'clock."

The man quickly looked in his book, and he smacked his lips when he finally found the name, giving them a placid look.

"Ah, yes," he said, and then pulled out menus and beckoned them with his outstretched arm. "This way please," he intoned, ushering them inside the dining room.

Inuyasha let Kagome walk ahead first keeping a protective hand on the small of her back. His eyes darted around the room, searching for any gazes that dared to rest upon his Kagome. When only a few people glanced over soon becoming disinterested, he relaxed and focused ahead.

When Inuyasha was about to sit down, he felt a strange source of youki simmering from within the room. He narrowed his eyes, and darted his attention around, trying to detect the source. His senses raged at the intrusion, and when he got more of a feel of it, he started to think it was hauntingly familiar. If only he wasn't human so could sense more …

"Inuyasha, are you okay?" Kagome asked, sitting at her seat and staring at him. He still hadn't taken his seat, and he continued to stare around the room. Some people were giving him curious glances, but he wasn't interested in them. He seemed to be focused on something else.

When the sensation disappeared, he saw that Kagome was waiting for him. He gave her a reassuring smile and sat at his seat. He shook his head and shrugged it off.

"It's nothing, Kagome. Nothing at all."

TBC …


	7. One Surprise After Another

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not know what it looks like inside the La Patata restaurant in Shibuya. I also do not know how Japanese people act in an Italian restaurant, so therefore, it's not going to be culturally accurate and will adhere with what an Italian restaurant in America is like. And for comedy's sake, it's going to be exaggerated anyway.
> 
> Thank you to Isis-Kitty and Foamyfan15010 for the beta jobs. And pardon me to those who have caught my misspellings of Hojo's name. I guess I'm a schizo when it comes to that.

Inuyasha's sense of the youki was brief, almost non-existent and he cursed the fact that he was human tonight and couldn't sense any more of it.

Kagome noticed he was distracted, and she looked at him worriedly. "What is it, Inuyasha?" She put down the menu and paused choosing her order for the moment. "You keep looking around the room." He made motion to answer, but she pointed her finger at him. "And don't tell me it's nothing. I know you better than that." She sighed and slumped in her seat. "Now tell me what's bothering you."

Inuyasha didn't want to worry her, but he felt it necessary to come clean. He didn't want to ruin the evening, so he gave in. "I thought I felt the presence of youki, but it was nothing."

Kagome raised an eyebrow at him in disbelief. "How can you feel youki as a human?"

"Keh, I'm not completely useless when I'm in this form. I have some intuition even if I'm human. It's just that it's really not that strong, and I could be wrong. Do you sense anything?"

Kagome, truthfully, wasn't really paying attention. In fact, she had told herself that she'd never have to deal with youkai again except for Inuyasha. She was comfortable knowing her time didn't have any demons. Since Inuyasha had some sort of 'intuition' even as a human, she felt a little paranoid.

Concentrating, Kagome closed her eyes and tried to feel the auras around the room. As a wave of kinetic vibrations from the people around her surged inside her senses, she inhaled harshly at the overwhelming energy and then relaxed, searching out for any negative power. Inuyasha watched her carefully. He almost jumped when her eyes sprang open and she looked bewildered.

"There is something, but it's really small…and I think it's more latent than anything," she answered, and then she became focused, searching around the room for that source of power.

"Hrmm…"

"What is it?" Inuyasha asked, concerned. More than anything he was excited that his intuition was right, and that he could feel something while he was in his human form.

"It's not really youki…it's the same kind of energy, but …" Kagome bit her lip and paused. "It's like I said, it's completely latent. It's almost as if it's something inside a human … but that's just silly."

"No, I don't think it is," Inuyasha replied with seriousness. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on, Inuyasha. You're just itching for a fight. Are you really that bored in my time?" Kagome huffed.

Inuyasha was taken aback by her tone. "What? No! It's not that! It's just that I get really worried about danger in your time. What if this thing attacks you?"

Kagome chomped on her bread and looked at him skeptically. "Why would it attack me?"

"Well, for starters, you're the only active miko I know in this era," Inuyasha said crossing his arms and giving her an exasperated look. "Besides, if there are any nasty creatures lurking around, we should take care of it."

"Riiiight…right after I open my Psychic Booth for being the only _active_ miko in Tokyo." She laughed, and Inuyasha scrunched his face into a sour look, not appreciating the levity she was taking with the situation. Kagome tuned into his feelings and sighed. "Look, it's probably nothing. You're probably just feeling the evil aura of a politician or something. Let's not start turning into Superman and Wonder Woman just yet."

"Super who and Wonder who?" Inuyasha asked, grabbing some of the bread from the basket.

"Um…they're superheroes who fight evil and strive for justice. Good guys versus bad guys, that sort of thing," Kagome said, looking around the restaurant. She changed the subject. "Hey, where's our waiter?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "I dunno; I'm fine with the bread. Although when we run out of it, I'm not sure about the state of my temper."

Kagome giggled. When she reached for her water glass, the waiter finally popped over to their table. When Kagome looked up at him, he looked somewhat frazzled and disheveled. She cocked one eye brow, but then he beamed at her and started to ask them for their order.

"I beg your forgiveness for the wait. I had to wrap up a few checks. Are the gentleman and lady ready to order?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes! I'll have the Shrimp Alfredo and a salad with the dressing on the side." She turned to Inuyasha to see if he was ready, and she frowned. Inuyasha was looking at the menu upside down. The waiter noticed as well and appeared confused. "Um…Inuyasha are you ready?"

"I can't make out any of these food names. I haven't a clue. Is this that 'Katakana' you were telling me about, Kagome?"

Kagome smiled brightly, trying to feign a poised composure in front of the waiter. "Yes, remember how I told you that Katakana is for foreign words?"

"Ah…right, well then," Inuyasha looked from the menu to the bristled waiter. Obviously the waiter was impatient with Inuyasha's behavior, and Kagome guessed the waiter thought Inuyasha a foreigner. "You order for me then, Kagome."

"Right, well, you like noodles, so…" Kagome turned to the menu, and then she looked to the waiter. "Just bring him the angel hair pasta with that lemon sauce. Oh, and you can skip the soup and salad with him. Just bring more bread."

"As you wish, madam," the waiter responded, taking the menus rather haughtily and then buzzing off.

"What the hell is wrong with that guy?" Inuyasha asked, and then Kagome shrugged, becoming embarrassed as some people gave them strange looks. "Shit, I thought tonight people wouldn't look at me funny. Guess I was wrong."

Kagome inwardly sighed but continued to smile. Inuyasha was obviously trying to be on his best behavior around her, but he still had to get used to the modern culture.

She hoped the rest of the meal went more smoothly. In fact, a few looks and Inuyasha's usual cantankerous attitude wasn't so bad. Kagome still was having a pleasant evening.

***

Of course, Kagome shouldn't have praised her good luck so soon. As soon as they got their dinner, Inuyasha began having problems with the 'fork' and 'knife'. Kagome said he could get chopsticks if he wanted, but Inuyasha was stubborn to impress her.

"Damn, these foreigners have some weird ways of eating!" he hissed in a low voice. He was trying to clank the fork and knife together as chopsticks, and Kagome could hardly hold back a giggle.

"Inuyasha," she said to him in a sweet voice. "Watch me." She lifted her fork, and his eyes traveled to her lips over the noodles wrapped on her fork. Watching her do anything with her lips and tongue was making it very hard for him to concentrate on the practical nature of the lesson. His jaw dropped and his gaze became transfixed. He nodded dumbly.

"Uh huh, okay …" But he could not keep his gaze off of her, and he stabbed his fork down in his food without looking and scooped up a large mass of noodles. His eyes widened as Kagome unconsciously licked the sauce off her lips, and in a knee-jerk reaction, he lifted his fork without knowing his own strength, missing his mouth.

His food went flying over his shoulder. Kagome's eyes widened in surprise, and the food she had just put in her mouth dropped out in an instant.

_One… Two… Three…_

Someone screamed in a high pitched voice. Kagome closed her eyes in mortification. Inuyasha snapped out of his daze and looked at his hand with the fork, and the food obviously not on it.

"You stupid punk!" And suddenly a large, meaty woman stomped up to their table with Inuyasha's angel pasta all over her face and expensive fur collared dress. "Is this some kind of joke?"

Kagome tried to calm the woman down. "I'm sorry, ma'am; he's not used a fork. He was raised by monks –"

"Silence!" She pointed a stubby finger adorned in large gaudy rings at them. "I want to know who's going to pay for this damage to my dress. THIS dress was designed by Toshihiro Kumiko-san personally for me, and I will not let a couple of young punks stain it without paying for it! I'll call the manager! Oh, this is an outrage!"

"Hey, you old bag, don't you talk to Kagome like that!" Inuyasha stood up, and Kagome recoiled in fear as her perfect night turned into a disaster. "I don't know what you're upset about. It's just an ugly bunch of animal skins wrapped around that onigiri body of yours. So, if anything, you should get 10 yen for the whole thing!"

"Why I never! Where's the manager? This is uncalled for! These children are publicly harassing me! Someone call the police!"

Inuyasha frowned as he sensed Kagome's distress and realized that things had gotten bad. 'My stupid mouth! But damn if that old hag didn't deserve it!' he thought.

"Look, lady, if you want me to pay for the damaged dress, I will. Just tell me how much it costs, and I'll give you the damn money, okay?"

Well, now Inuyasha was speaking her language. She calmed down and puffed out her chest. She eyed him haughtily with her nose in the air and she outstretched her hand to him. "This dress cost me 150,000 Yen, and I _doubt_ you have such a large amount. So I suppose you'll be hearing from my lawyer -"

"Here!" He dropped a wad of cash in her fat palm, and she looked at him bewildered.

"Of course, there is that fee to my new hairstyle that was just ruined. I paid 8500 yen for it."

"Yeah, well…" He plopped the rest of the cash down in her hands with some extra. "Here you go, and a bit more to shut the hell up. Oh, and a bit of advice, all that money doesn't mean squat to me … and it obviously doesn't buy anything for you either, since you're such a rotten human." He turned to the manager who was ready to haul him out. "How much was our meal?" And when he told him, Inuyasha planted the rest of the money he earned from the modeling job into the owner's hand. It was clearly more than what the meal was plus tip, but Inuyasha was too steamed too care.

He gave Kagome an apologetic look through irritated eyes, "Come on. It's time to go."

***

Inuyasha felt absolutely abysmal after what had happened at the restaurant. He didn't have any money left; not even enough to hail a taxi back to Kagome's house. So, he stalked off beside her, but he couldn't bring himself to say a word.

Overall, he felt he'd really fucked up. _'That Hojo kid will probably scoop her away from me tomorrow …'_

Kagome said nothing as well, making the moment even more miserable. She didn't even yell at him! At least the yelling was something. Instead, the atmosphere between them was as awkward as ever. How the hell was he ever going to get used to this place? Sure, he was a little coarse and belligerent at times, but he honestly and truly loved her –he just didn't know how to tell her.

He was kicking a can on the ground next to him when he heard a weird sound come from Kagome's direction.

He looked up curiously – ready to get a huge lecture about his horrible behavior. He was shocked when he looked up at her face to a smile.

Suddenly, she burst out laughing.

He was stunned.

And she kept laughing until tears brimmed at the corners of her eyes.

"What's so funny?" he snarled.

"Oh my goodness! Did you see that old lady's face?" She clutched her sides in mirth. "You told that rich, old heiress off! Oh, my! I've never seen anything funnier in my entire life! All that pasta on her stupid fur coat – Buwhahahaha!"

"Um…"

She continued to giggle and then sighed to catch her breath. Her face reddened from the excitement. "That was so much fun!"

"You're kidding right? You're not mad?" Inuyasha asked cautiously.

"Well…," Kagome said, shrugging. "Of course it wasn't the most romantic thing, but well… you're better at those sorts of things in private, right?"

Inuyasha's face flushed, and then he saw Kagome look away shyly, still smiling from her exhilaration. She skipped ahead of him on the sidewalk and he watched how her dress slid sensually over her curves. He swallowed hard and reminded himself to breathe.

"Yeah… I'm sorry about that. I just couldn't get past those weird chopsticks." He scratched his head nervously. She turned around and watched him adoringly, reveling in the sweeter side of him when he was human. She walked up to him and took his hand.

"I had a good time, Inuyasha." Her voice was soft, hinted with huskiness. He felt a spark light up deep within him and warmed to the feel of her skin against his. She tugged at his hand and led him down the street.

He smiled sheepishly, extremely relieved that the night wasn't too awful.

However, he was slightly unsure that he was completely off the hook, and his fears intensified when she stopped walking and looked upward.

Inuyasha tried to move forward, but then he realized Kagome's attention was elsewhere. He followed her gaze upward toward the tops of the buildings. His eyes stopped when he noticed something oddly familiar – _too familiar._

"Um…don't tell me…oh my," Kagome stuttered, and she leveled her eyes to a very large billboard for an underwear ad. The model of this particular advertisement was more familiar than she would have ever guessed.

Inuyasha recognized himself right away, stunned and incensed by the manor in which the picture was displayed.

_'That rotten little… I never agreed…'_

"Um…Kagome look, about where I got the money…"

Kagome's jaw dropped. At first upon seeing the portrait she didn't believe it was him, but after he spoke up she was quite sure of it – and the concept seemed foreign and unbelievable.

To completely convince herself that she was looking up at a half naked picture of Inuyasha in one of the most tantalizing poses she'd ever seen – on a big humongous billboard no less – Kagome began to study it. Her eyes roamed over the perfectly chiseled chest from all that fighting, the great angles of his bones and frame underneath that tan, smooth skin. She looked up into his face, so angry and aggravated, but yet, so seductive beneath the resentment and tragedy. His beautiful silver hair flowed around him, gently blanketing his body.

Kagome thought her heart was going shoot out of her chest. Her pulse became rapid, and she felt heat pool within her core.

Soon, she snapped back as she realized that Inuyasha's picture – her Inuyasha – was being publicly displayed for so many strangers to enjoy and she hadn't even had a chance to enjoy him yet herself…

Why did this feel so wrong to her?

"Why?" she choked out, and Inuyasha noticed distress in her voice. She felt faint and wobbled backward, and he moved to catch her.

Out of the way of onlookers, Inuyasha pulled her aside into a dark alley between two buildings, both out of sight of the looming billboard. He set her against the wall of one building and leaned his arms around her, trapping her within a cage of his body.

"I'm sorry, Kagome. I did this for you. I wanted you to have a perfect evening with me, but I didn't have any money…"

Kagome huffed, and her breathing slowed as he explained. She closed her eyes, holding back feelings of anger and jealousy.

"So I did this, and even though this night ended up like shit, I did it all for you-"

"But why?" Why would he do such a crazy thing for her? He should know she didn't care about money.

"I was afraid. I was afraid that guy who got you all those gifts would win you…" Suddenly his fears and feelings came pouring out. His blood heated at being so close to her, and fires ignited within him. He knelt down so close; their noses almost touching, he and stared sternly into her eyes. She drowned within golden fire of his gaze, and she felt herself shivering. "I'm alone here, and I don't know what I'd do without you if you went to someone else." His head fell and rested on her shoulder.

At first, Kagome froze. Had he finally confessed to her? Was Inuyasha truly trying to tell her how he felt?

She lifted up her hand and caressed his face. He moaned in her ear and she felt her knees weaken. And as if in a trance, he nuzzled his nose against her cheek.

"I'm sorry about the picture. It was definitely not what I agreed on," he said smoothly, his voice soft in her ear. "It won't happen again. I promise."

"You know…" Kagome exhaled heavily, and Inuyasha felt her chest rise against his. "I rather liked the billboard, but you didn't need to do that. You don't need money or gifts to impress me. Who told you that anyway?"

Inuyasha brought his head up and met her gaze. His brow furrowed. "Your brother told me that Hojo kid was going win you with all those gifts, and then I'd have to baby-sit your kids."

Kagome got a malicious gleam in her eyes and smiled wickedly. Inuyasha had seen this look before and knew from experience that it wasn't pretty. "Oh, did he?" Inuyasha gulped and was thankful he wasn't in Souta's shoes.

"Look," she said, forgetting about her anger for the moment. "Don't listen to Souta. He just wants to mess with us. He's been doing that since you came over. Now, as I said, you don't need to get me gifts."

"Really?" Inuyasha asked hopefully.

"Yes. In fact, Hojo is really annoying. Have you met him? Ugh…" Kagome said, her reaction pleasing Inuyasha greatly. He rocked into her spontaneously, and her surprised squeak excited him.

"So, you said you liked the picture?" he whispered, teasing her. Kagome's jaw quivered as she felt Inuyasha's pelvis rock into her again.

She swallowed. "Um…yes, but not for everyone else to see…"

Inuyasha frowned, and she tugged on his jacket lapel. She gave him a playful, yet hard look. "I'd rather you do that sort of thing in private."

"For you?" She felt him caress his fingers over her thigh – briefly lifting up her skirt and then releasing the fabric. She blushed intensely and then looked up into his eyes. Desire swirled within them, and Kagome felt herself reeling in the moment.

She stuttered, "Well… yes, I was kinda hoping…"

And then, before she could even finish, his lips were on hers fiercely – nibbling and tugging at her bottom lip while his tongue teased her own. She responded to him – diving her tongue past his teeth and searching for his warmth. As they kissed, she wrapped her arms around his neck and felt his hand tugging at her skirt.

She moaned into his mouth and then dropped her hand. She didn't know why or how, but she wanted his hand to do more than touch her thigh. She'd prefer it to touch something else – something much more forbidden.

Lightly, Kagome tugged at Inuyasha's hand and motioned it at the hem of her skirt. He almost paused within their kiss but then realized her intentions. Cautiously, his fingers snaked under the light fabric and began caressing the screened material of her nylons. He raked his fingers over the tops of her thighs, diving below and running his fingers in heady strokes over the heat between her legs. Kagome moaned into his mouth again, and she felt him harden against her.

"Kagome…" he whispered, and hearing him say her name in such a sultry way caused her legs to wobble. She felt desperate for more – wanted him to say her name like that _more_ ; wanted him to touch her _more_.

Then suddenly, he broke from her, feeling as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her head. She looked up at his flushed face, but his attentions were elsewhere.

"There it is again!" he snarled, and then she realized what he was talking about. Kagome concentrated, and her body went cold, and she realized that Inuyasha had not broken their kiss out of disappointment, but for something else.

It was something much more familiar.

"I feel that youki again, and it's stronger than before! Damn, I've never felt something so strongly when I was human before," he cursed.

Kagome shuddered in his arms, and he looked down at her in concern. "What? You feel it, too, don't you?"

"It's not just that, but we have another problem." She looked at him in fear, a look he had not seen since Naraku was still alive. Her tongue felt thick, and she didn't know how to break the news to him without being blunt.

"Inuyasha, I think…No, I know that the Shikon Jewel is active again."

He stared at her in shock. His lips tightened, and he grabbed her hand. "That's it. We have to go home now."

TBC…


	8. Unforeseen Events

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Isis-Kitty for the beta job.

Inuyasha was miffed that he had to tear himself away from Kagome's arms after detecting the evil presence. As much as he would have rather preferred to continue the moment between them, it was crucial they find the source of that energy.

What sort of evil presence was floating around in Kagome's time? And why did the Shikon Jewel revive after only a short time of inactivity?

He surmised the two events had to be connected, since he had felt nothing like this before when they brought the completed jewel back to her time. If it was true the completed jewel could corrupt people here as well, even the few demons that hid here, then it was imperative they eradicate the source of this evil and protect the jewel.

And until they made a wish on the jewel, their duty never ended no matter where they took it.

Inuyasha gritted his teeth in annoyance and gripped Kagome's hand tightly. Why couldn't they just enjoy peace for once? It's like Fate had something against him.

He heard Kagome's heavy breathing beside him, and he realized that they had run through downtown Tokyo without even stopping.

"Hold on," Kagome panted, and he realized she was getting tired. He was also getting tired from running in his human form. "Wait. If we stop over there, we can catch the bus. I have a bus pass."

"It's too slow."

"Then let's grab a taxi, and I'll pay," she suggested, and she began digging into her purse and counting her money. She looked around her surroundings and then met his gaze. "If we get one here, I think I have enough."

"Alright," he exhaled. And he watched as Kagome hailed a cab.

***

Inside the cab he could feel Kagome's distress rolling off her in waves. Unconsciously, he reached over and put his hand over hers. At first the motion startled her, and then she took his hand tightly into her own.

"I just don't understand. First the Shikon jewel goes dormant and now it's active again – right after we sense this new presence." She turned to Inuyasha and gave him a look of concern. "The events must be connected, but I didn't think something in my time could affect the Shikon jewel like that."

Determined, Inuyasha squeezed her hand lightly. "Don't worry, Kagome." He looked into her eyes with fortitude, and Kagome began to feel more secure. As long as Inuyasha was there, she knew things would be okay. The only thing she didn't like was that their peace was disrupted – especially after what happened to them in the alley. She blushed as she thought about it.

Inuyasha noticed her flushed face, and he wondered about her thoughts. They were pretty close in the cab, and he was still clutching her hand. Her shoulder rubbed against his and their knees touched. He felt a flutter in his stomach soon replaced by annoyance.

'Why did something have to come up at a time like this? I just want to spend time with Kagome. I thought our fighting days were over.' He gritted his teeth and then looked over at her, noticing she was looking away shyly. He guessed that she was thinking about what happened in the alley – and that those were _good_ thoughts.

In all honesty, now he was more confident about their relationship. However, he wanted it to become more solid without anymore doubts. Inuyasha wanted to hear that she loved him – he wanted to be brave as well and do the same.

To test that theory, he shifted their conjoined hands over her upper thigh. Inuyasha had been there on her thighs before, and he liked it – he liked the way Kagome looked when he had touched her there – so close to forbidden heat. His hand twitched in that memory, and if the cab driver wasn't there, if they had no pressing problem to address, he'd like to think he had to courage to touch her again – to push her onto her, seeing her hair spread out beneath her and face turn an enticing shade of red.

His hand in hers shifted nervously – but more as a mask to get closer – higher on her leg as he had been there before.

Kagome felt the movement, and she looked up at him with a flushed face.

"Um…Inuyasha …" she stuttered, but she was leaning into him, and her lips were parted and wet.

Inuyasha swallowed. "Kagome," he responded, his grip on her hands loosening to catch her into an embrace. He stared at her lips, licking his own.

Publicly, they should have shown more restraint out in the open. Inuyasha felt dazed – whether it was from the weird smell in the cab or his raging heartbeat – but he wanted her and didn't want to wait.

He hated waiting – especially when he had to find out what happened to the Shikon Jewel. He hoped it was nothing and that they could look for clues, find none today, and save the search for tomorrow.

Then, he could be with her, and if she allowed him – he could touch her.

She was centimeters away from his face, and he felt the car stop.

"We're here, folks. Higurashi shrine," said the cabbie. The stranger's voice brought them out of their reverie and threw ice water on their legs.

Kagome blinked, and then the cabbie turned around and asked for the fair. He got a view of two blushing kids, just in the middle of something suggestive. He winked at Inuyasha – earning a growl as they swiftly exited the cab.

When the cab sped away, Kagome and Inuyasha looked at each other mournfully – aggravated that they couldn't continue that brief wonderful moment.

"C'mon, let's go," Inuyasha said, grabbing her hand and leading her to the shrine where her grandfather kept the jewel.

Kagome was disheartened, and she felt impulsive. 'Whatever is with the jewel can wait a minute, can't it? Then we can go back into our crazy crusade against evil like before.'

"Wait, Inuyasha!" She tugged at his hand and wouldn't let him go. He turned around to see her brow furrowed in determination. Her expression changed softly, and then she smiled confidently. "I just know we'll figure this out." Then, she did something she didn't think she was capable of doing, and neither did Inuyasha as well. She pulled him closer to her and captured his lips with her own.

She inched her tongue past his lips, sucking on his bottom lip and tasting his wet warmth. Inuyasha responded, bringing her into and embrace and kissing her hungrily in return.

Her scent, her taste, her fire – he never wanted to lose them and leave this moment.

But then Kagome broke the moment, and said, "There'll hopefully be plenty of time for more of that later." She paused, and as she looked at Inuyasha, she felt very turned on by his flushed face and heated look.

"Damn right, woman," he breathed, reveling in the remnants of her taste. And before they could relish this perfect romantic moment, they heard clapping behind them.

Surprised, Kagome and Inuyasha turned around to see an uninvited guest.

"Ah, young love!" the woman exclaimed, and Kagome noticed that Inuyasha glared particularly hard at her. She flashed him a devilish smile before sizing Kagome up. She crossed her arms and lifted her chin, infuriating Inuyasha even more. Kagome seemed taken aback by her.

"Pretty thing, isn't she?" the woman turned to Inuyasha who was seething. "So this is the girl you needed that money for." She gave Kagome a scrutinizing look and said rather callously, "She's kind of short, and her thighs are a bit fat … but for the girl next door, hey, she's quite perfect."

"You! I told you I was through with you!" Inuyasha bellowed at her, and Kagome seemed too shocked to speak. Inuyasha turned to her and tried to explain. "This is the bitch who took my pictures." He whipped his head around and pointed a finger at her. "You lied to me, you dog! No where did you say you were going to put my picture up on a huge painting for everyone to see!" Inuyasha came after her and grabbed her collar, but she was hardly fazed by his strength.

"You dolt," Riho chided. "What do you think modeling is for? We license your picture out to buyers to gain profit. That's our job." She brushed him off her and smoothed the wrinkles in her jacket. Then she gave him that same sinister smile. "Man, you _were_ raised by monks. You're hopelessly clueless. Well, that'll make things easier in the long run." She paused and then she gave him a look over. "What happened to your bad dye-job and the contacts? Or are you a good boy and put your punk days behind you when you're with your girl?"

Inuyasha's mouth dropped, and then he remembered that it was still the new moon. 'Shit!' The last thing he needed was Riho to see him as a human – human for only one day of the month. This was bad.

"Ohohoho, why so speechless? Am I right?"

"Fuck off, lady, now!" He lunged for her, and she backed away this time, probably averse to the idea of Inuyasha wrinkling her clothes again.

"I won't leave!" she said defiantly, and then she poked him in the chest. "My job is at stake here if I don't get you to model for us again!"

"Like I care now, you lying cow! You deceived me, insulted Kagome, and now you have the nerve to give me attitude about your stupid job! There are more important things to do in the world than your stupid pansy modeling job! I'm through with it, and I don't care if you and your brother do get thrown on the streets. You might learn a lesson …"

Kagome chimed in, "Inuyasha…"

"No, Kagome, this lady is nothing but trouble, and we have more important things to take care of right now. Remember?"

Riho looked back and forth at them and realized there was more to them that what appeared. Internally, she felt guilty for coming after this guy again, and he certainly was a pain to deal with. But her boss, Takeda Oogami, was significantly worse and just thinking of what he'd do to her if she did not comply made her shiver.

Finally she said, "Look, I didn't want to come here."

"Yeah, right." Inuyasha looked over to her and gave her a skeptical look. Riho seemed serious, but he wasn't going to buy it yet. After what happened with the billboard, he felt Riho still couldn't be trusted.

She put her hands up in surrender and said, "I'm serious. Oogami-sensei made me, and I don't argue with him. I'm sorry I got you into this, but no one defies Takeda Oogami – no one. Bad things have happened to people who don't follow his orders."

"Is this Takeda Oogami in league with the Yakuza?" Kagome asked, and Riho seemed both surprised and terrified at the question.

Riho sighed. "I'm not for sure, but there is evidence in the past that suggest he has some dealings with some powerful people – it could be them. All I know is that his reputation benefits from his skills as a photographer through side jobs – espionage and keeping tabs on people's unfaithful wives. I didn't know all of this when I signed up with him, but because I work so closely with him – I'm too close to ever willingly quit – or be fired. I'd probably be dead the next day."

"Feh, this sounds like a lie," Inuyasha replied. "I never heard of something so crazy."

"It's not!" Riho answered adamantly. Inuyasha was shocked by her tone. He saw tears in her eyes, and he could really feel her fear.

Riho sighed. "Look, you need to come and model; otherwise he might do something to this shrine." She turned to Inuyasha with a grave expression. "He's already done some research on this shrine and your identity…you can't escape him. He wants you to be his model and that's that. I'm sorry."

Her apology may have been sincere, but at this point, Inuyasha was thoroughly seething. How dare these strangers threaten Kagome and her family? How dare they bring their misfortune onto the place he called his home and people he regarded as his family?

Swiftly, he turned to Riho and grabbed her collar again. Kagome watched him in horror, and even after Riho's story, she still fully did not understand the ramifications of this problem they were in.

Neither did Inuyasha – and his anger was going to get him in trouble. He had no idea what evil humans were here in her time – and getting involved with people like the Yakuza would spell great trouble for her family.

"Inuyasha, wait…" Kagome said, but he ignored her and seemed hell bent on only addressing Riho.

"Listen here, bitch! I'll go to this stupid Oogami-shit, and I'll pummel his face for daring to threaten my family, understand?"

She gave him a somber expression laced with pity. "Do what you want, but if you defy him …" She looked over at Kagome and then back at him again. "He'll take away the things that are precious to you, then your own life."

Kagome gasped, and Inuyasha could not believe it. Riho seemed very serious, and he didn't know if he could trust her – even when her story seemed so exponentially dire.

'Great,' he thought. 'First the jewel, then the evil presence, and now this?'

He didn't know when his bad luck would finally end.


	9. A Hero is Born

Riho clucked her tongue and shot an annoyed look to her watch. "Oh, look at the time! I've totally been here longer than I needed to be."

Inuyasha and Kagome continued to glare at her as she chirped on. She beamed at them and snickered. "I'll leave you kids alone now. You two have fun, okay? Tomorrow is a big day!"

Too enraged to say anything, Kagome and Inuyasha merely watched her leave, listening to the clatter of her pumps as she descended down the shrine's steps.

Kagome sighed when the woman was gone, and she wiped her forehead in dismay. Then she got an annoyed look on her face. "What does that woman mean I have `fat' thighs? Humph! Well at least I don't have a beak for a nose!"

Inuyasha grunted. "You know, you could have told her that while she was here. I wouldn't have stopped you."

Kagome crossed her arms and put her nose in the air. "Well, maybe I will tell her next time what I really think of her. Who does she think she is threatening us like that? Of all the nerve!"

Inuyasha didn't seem to be taking the situation as lightly as Kagome was. He didn't know the severity of Riho's threats, but he was seriously pissed off that any stranger dared threaten his new family.

Kagome saw the distress on his face and put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "Look, Inuyasha. Don't sweat it. I bet she's bluffing. Who would really think a photographer is in lieu with the Yakuza? It sounds sort of silly to me."

Inuyasha clenched his fists. "No, that doesn't matter to me. I'm not angry because of that. I'll get the bastard for threatening your family – and trying to use you to get to me!"

Kagome waved her hands in the air, trying to calm him down. "Now, Inuyasha, settle down and don't get upset. We can get through this…we'll just go there and talk him out of it. It's not good to draw attention to yourself. Tomorrow you'll be a hanyou again, and then what will you do? He can't find out about your true nature." She paused and then when she caught his gaze, she looked at him sternly. "Now that you're in my time, no one can find out."

"Don't you think I know that?" Inuyasha seethed at her, and when he saw her recoil back to his tone, he immediate felt guilty for yelling at her, and his voice became gentler. "Anyway, we came back here to find out about the jewel and then that viper shows up …" He stopped, and then his widened with a quick realization. "The jewel!"

Kagome gasped. "That's right! Ah! How could we get so distracted?" She grabbed the cuff of his shirt and pulled him toward Grandpa's shed. "C'mon, we have to go check it out."

"Right," he said nodding, and then he took a quick glance behind him at the night sky. "It's getting late. Let's figure out what's going on, and get inside before your family starts to worry."

"Yeah, whatever's up with the jewel, we can take it inside for the night." Kagome opened the creaking door to her grandpa's shed, and immediately they saw the pink jewel resting on the shelf and illuminating the entire shed.

"Wow, it was activated again!" Kagome exclaimed, opening the door wider and then running to the shining jewel. She bent closer to it as Inuyasha came up behind her.

"Oh!" she groaned. "Grandpa locked it in some special case. I'm afraid I don't have the key for it."

"Damn it! That stupid old -"

"Wait!" Kagome stuck her finger behind her ear and pulled out a hairpin. "Ah, the things that a woman can't live without." She proudly showed Inuyasha the pin in her hand, and he gaped in confusion. Kagome sighed, realizing that Inuyasha was far from being impressed.

She took the hairpin, fishing it around in the lock. Inuyasha watched with interest as her face changed expressions and her tongue moved around her lips in concentration. When they both heard a snap, Kagome squealed. "Got it!"

Thanks to Kagome's expert lock picking, the lid opened to reveal their prize; Inuyasha was definitely impressed now.

"Hrmm, you sure have some interesting skills you've been hiding," he replied coyly. Kagome grinned at him, and then his body instinctively was drawn to hers. She shifted her weight on her feet and rubbed a hip against him.

"You have no idea the things I can do," she purred, and with the tone of her voice and suggestive move of her hips, Inuyasha had forgotten about the jewel again.

He growled, and rubbed a hand over her waist. "Oh really? Am I going to see these tricks anytime soon?"

She laughed, reaching a hand to his face, but she felt a cold pulse surge throughout her body. "Ungh!" She almost retched, and then Inuyasha caught her as she fell forward.

"Kagome!" he yelled in worry, and her vision blurred as the room began to spin. She shook her head and closed her eyes, and soon the strange feeling faded away.

"Phew! That was odd!" she responded nonchalantly, and Inuyasha gave her an annoyed look.

"What the hell was that?" Inuyasha asked quickly grabbing onto her shoulders. He peered into her face with concern. She was sweating and looked clammy and pale.

"I don't know… It was strange. It felt as though someone was trying to home in on the jewel through some sort of amplified magic. I got the brunt of the signal, as if it tried to zap me of my spirit," she replied, and then she made an exasperated noise in her throat. Feeling faint again, she leaned up against Inuyasha for support. She added, "I hate to say it, but I think someone is looking for the jewel, and since I'm still connected to it, it's almost as if someone is searching for me too."

Inuyasha bared his teeth and growled noisily. "If anyone lays a finger on you I'll rip them to shreds! So help me I'll fuck up that Oogami guy, that Riho bitch, and any other fool who comes after us!"

"Inuyasha," Kagome soothed, laying a hand on his arm to calm him. "I know you're going to protect me, just as you always have." He looked into her deep eyes full of hope and regard for him and felt his anger melting. "But remember what I said. We can't have you bring attention to yourself. You're in my world now, and the humans here have no idea how to react to demons. I'm sorry but you'll have to keep your super powers on the down low."

"I don't know if I can do that," he admitted readily. "If you're in danger, I won't hesitate to use all my might to save you."

She chuckled and then added, "Let's not break out the tights and cape yet."

When Inuyasha gave her a confused look, she only laughed. She pulled him into an embrace and heard her name lightly graze his breath as he nuzzled his face into her hair. She wanted to wrap herself in his scent and warmth forever.

She closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest. Suddenly, she felt weightless as he lifted her off the ground and carried her back to the house. She clutched the jewel in her hand protectively, feeling her breathing resonate with its pulse. She put the jewel back in the case and locked it back up, knowing it was safer here than with them.

"Let's go inside now," he said affectionately. "It's getting late, and everyone will be worried. We can talk about the jewel tomorrow."

Nodding against him, she sighed as he carried her. She inwardly reveled in the closeness of his protective touch. She only wished that that they could sleep like this through the night.

However, in accordance with proper behavior, they unfortunately had to separate into their own rooms for the night – reminiscing of the jewel and hoping for longer moments together.

***

As much as she tried, Kagome couldn't sleep. Thoughts of the daily events jumbled around her brain, and when she thought more about her problems, she was drawn further and further away from any chance of slumber.

The thing that bothered her the most was probably not the thing that should bother her. She should have been more mindful of Riho's threats and the jewel, but she couldn't escape the magnificent emotions she was experiencing with Inuyasha. He had taken her on a date and even kissed her, and they had flirted with each other.

She was utterly floored and shocked. They were actually a full-blown couple now!

Kagome's mind and body surged with the possibilities of their future. How far would they go? Where would he touch her and kiss her next?

More importantly, where did she want him to kiss and touch her next?

The possibilities were endless, and Kagome felt her core stir to the ideas, yearning for those physical endeavors.

She groaned and punched her pillow. There was no way she was going to sleep with those images in her mind!

So, she did what any healthy growing teenage girl would do. She got up from her bed and headed straight downstairs to Inuyasha's bedroom – to alleviate her nagging problem.

At some point, her rational mind kicked in and she stood outside Inuyasha's bedroom door just one knock away from alerting her presence.

However, she hesitated and thought that maybe this wasn't a good idea after all. Although she did have these feelings for him, she had always wanted to wait until that moment was special – without any outside forces throwing a killjoy into their untainted romance.

Still, if anything was true about her relationship with Inuyasha, it was that it surely wasn't perfect. It never had been, and she dared to wonder if it ever would be.

"Kagome?" She heard her name behind his door. She panicked, wanting to duck out of this impulsive plan and scurry back to her room. But before she could escape, Inuyasha had already opened the shoji door.

He looked down at her, surprised that she was there.

"Kagome, what are you doing here?" He yawned, and she fidgeted under his gaze.

"Uh…I…I couldn't sleep, Inuyasha," she squeaked, and she felt stupid for being this nervous. Inwardly groaning, she was ready to kill herself. 'If I didn't seem like a virgin before, I definitely do now.'

"Oh." He turned his gaze away and flushed in sync with her. He scratched the back of his head. "Me either."

"Hn." Kagome made a noise in response, and the both of them could feel the air get thicker.

Then, Inuyasha opened his door wider. "Do you want to come in and talk? I've been thinking about the jewel."

"Oh?" Kagome nodded as he motioned her inside. She was grateful that the conversation was at least shifting back to the jewel.

"Uh, yeah, and about someone in this time searching for it," he responded, and he sighed heavily as he sat down on his futon. Kagome sat down next to him and laid a hand on his knee. "I just can't figure it out. Who else would know about the jewel, especially in your time?"

"Well, a lot of antique dealers and maybe even artifact collectors would know about it. Any Shinto priest or priestess would have common knowledge of it, and even historians are aware of it."

"Great," Inuyasha snorted. "That narrows our suspects down to thousands."

"Not necessarily. Most modern-day people believe it's a myth, and I'm sure even those who believe in it may think it was missing or lost through the ages," Kagome said optimistically.

"So where does that leave us?" Inuyasha asked.

"Well, tomorrow we can start searching for anyone that's been looking for it, and maybe try to find some news on local fanatics or people who study the jewel. I can even ask Grandpa to check his sources of any antique dealers that are persistently interested in the jewel; its whereabouts and even what its worth would be if a collector got a hold of it. We can even go to the library tomorrow and do some digging. I know that's not the greatest place to spend your Sunday, but…"

"No, it's fine," Inuyasha interrupted with determination in his voice. "We have to get to the bottom of it. We should try and see if the jewel opens the well up again too."

Kagome nodded.

"But first, we take care of that arrogant asshole who threatened us," he growled. Kagome sighed, and it was clear that Inuyasha was still concerned about the photographer. She only hoped it wasn't as worse as it seemed.

"Okay, but remember what I said about not drawing attention to yourself?" Kagome pointed a finger at him.

"Fine, fine," he slurred, lounging back onto his futon with his eyes closing in sleepiness. Kagome giggled and bent down and kissed him on the cheek.

"Goodnight, Inuyasha," she said, before making her exit.

Suddenly, Inuyasha pulled her arm and brought her against his chest. Silence overtook the room, and they stayed frozen in each other's embrace. A sigh hitched in Kagome's throat as she heard his heartbeat quicken against her cheek.

"I wish you could stay here with me," he finally whispered, and she felt his breath against her hair.

"I do too, Inuyasha," she replied, and he squeezed her tighter in response to her words.

Shifting her body, he bent into her, taking her lips with his own. He made a seductive moan in her mouth as he captured her tongue. Kagome sucked on his bottom lip and met his kiss with intensity. And after lapping up her heated taste, he broke the kiss coarsely and looked into her eyes.

"I was hoping that you came here to see me because you didn't want to talk."

Kagome shook her head. "At first, I didn't want to talk." She moved closer to him, and he instinctively rocked into her. She closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath as she felt his friction. She nuzzled her face into his chest and wove her fingers through his hair. "But then I realized that I'm not ready yet. I'm still kind of scared."

"Hn." Inuyasha nodded against her and began caressing her jaw line. "It's okay, Kagome." She felt him smiling next to her. "I can wait."

Kagome's face flushed, and she giggled against him, still locked in his embrace. "Oh, it shouldn't have to be too long."

Then he scoffed, "Don't tease me woman; definitely, now is not the time."

Kagome giggled again, and she stayed just a few minutes more before she went back to her room.

***

Inuyasha and Kagome looked up in wonderment at the large photography studio in Shibuya-ku.

"This must be the place," Kagome said, rechecking the address for about the fiftieth time.

"It sure is gaudy," Inuyasha stated, wrinkling his nose at the excessive amount of purple and red and then overblown with a flashing neon sign. "I bet this guy is a real fruit."

Kagome coughed. "Sort of like someone's brother that I know." Inuyasha cackled next to her, somewhat thrilled by the instant imagery of his brother in charge of a girly shop like the one before them.

Opening the door for Kagome, the two of them slipped inside and walked to the front desk. The woman behind it was no doubt the secretary, although she wasn't dressed like any ordinary business worker. Inuyasha thought she was gaudier than the sign.

She peered at him through small, black-rimmed spectacles and overdone black eye make-up. Inuyasha watched with interest as her red Mohawk managed to stay in place as she whipped her head around to greet them.

"Please sign in and state your business," she interjected tersely.

"Um, yes, hi," Kagome said while bowing politely. "We were asked to see Oogami Takeda-san. My friend here has done some modeling for him."

Taking the glasses off, the girl's face brightened when she looked at Inuyasha, her eyes roaming over his body and settling on the black bandana. "Ooh! I remember your photos! Such a physique! Such an angry expression! And to top it off, the white dyed hair was not only evident on your head!"

Kagome's face reddened, and Inuyasha merely glared at the woman.

"Keh. Are you going to let us see this bozo or not?"

"Oh certainly!" she tittered, jumping up from her seat and motioning them to the back. When they got halfway through the dark black hallway, the secretary stopped.

"This is as far as he'll allow me to take you. I think you can find your way back. Oogami-dono was in a meeting, but I believe those clients are gone now. Good luck, and welcome to the company!"

"Ugh," Kagome groaned as the secretary bobbled back to her post. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, but something she had said intrigued Kagome.

"Inuyasha?"

"Hrmm?" he said distracted as he began sniffing the hallway and looking around with interest. The darkened hallway was cluttered with costumes and broken stage sets, piled up as they walked farther toward the main studio.

"What did she mean you had white hair somewhere other than your head?"

And suddenly, before she could finish, Inuyasha had her back up against the wall and in his protective arms. He shushed her with a finger to her lip and then looked away, his ears twitching under his bandana as his attention focused elsewhere.

Kagome stood frozen and let Inuyasha focus by staying quiet. She surmised that his behavior was prompted by possible trouble.

"Now, Takeda-pii." Inuyasha heard an unfamiliar man talking, mangling Takeda's name with informalities. "I don't want to keep wasting my time coming here, waiting for this one simple request from weeks ago."

Inuyasha also heard other people, as well as someone whimpering among them.

"I'm extremely sorry, Jinsou-sama," another voice pleaded. Inuyasha assumed the voice belonged to Takeda Oogami. "I know you told me to keep tabs on your wife, but I haven't found anything incriminating against her."

"You lie! She's charmed her way into your heart, and now she's paying you double what I'm asking. How much is she paying you to keep her boyfriends quiet? Huh?" Inuyasha heard a scuffle, and then someone was obviously thrown to the ground.

"Jinsou-sama, please! You know that no woman could charm Takeda Oogami," he pleaded again, and Inuyasha found the statement strange.

"Ha!" the loud man scoffed, and Inuyasha heard the sound of metal and then another cry from Takeda. "Stupid queer, you may be right about my wife not getting to you, but maybe that just means you're not very good at your job as you proclaim to be."

Inuyasha heard other men laughing in the background, and then one spoke up. "Hey boss, shall we trash his studio to teach him a lesson? That was real fun last time." The other men chuckled and then made noises in agreement. Takeda began begging for them to not consider it.

"Please, I can't do my work for you if I have to keep replacing my equipment. It wastes my time and more importantly yours as well!" Takeda exclaimed, and seconds later Inuyasha heard a quick force of a fist against a face, and then a body made a thud onto the ground.

"I don't need you to tell me what wastes my time, you stupid sap! I should let you off easy …" The men began to groan in disappointment around him. "But frankly, I've been too generous already…"

***

"What's going on?" Kagome whispered with her lowest voice, and Inuyasha shot her shushed motion.

"That Takeda guy's getting roughed up back there by some people that don't particularly like him. We should go. I don't know how dangerous they are, but they're doing our job for us and beating the piss out of him."

"Inuyasha!" she scolded, and her whisper was too loud for comfort, and he waved her silent. Kagome pleaded with him anyway. "We can't just leave him to those guys. What if they kill him?"

"So?" Inuyasha whispered back. The look on his face showed that he didn't care, the same look Kagome had seen time and again when she pleaded him to help unfortunate people in feudal Japan. "The guy threatened us and your family! He's a dirt bag, so he's not our problem!"

She grabbed his arm and gave him a pleading look. He hated that look. He could never say no to it.

"Please, Inuyasha?" She gave him that pouting face that he couldn't resist. "If you save him, he'll be in debt to you, and then he can leave you and my family alone. Besides, you'd be doing the right thing."

"Damn it!" he rasped. "I'm tired of helping humans by doing the right thing. I'm no good at it!"

"But you saved Japan from Naraku." She smiled with a toothy grin and continued to pet his ego. "You can handle something small like this, can't you?"

He was silent for a moment, and met her look with a glare as she poked at his reserves with her impossibly, sexy charm. `Fuck!' he cursed to himself.

"Alright!" he agreed. He jabbed a finger at her. "But I'm only doing this because I'm demanding my help as payment for leaving us alone, you got that?"

"Of course, Inuyasha." She smiled sweetly, and then pecked his cheek. He groaned in defeat. Kagome was definitely the only adversary that ever could defeat him.

"Alright, I'm going," he said pouting. "But it's not going to be fun without my sword."

"I don't think you need it." She lifted up her arms and made a couple of fists while winking at him. "Just introduce them to a couple of friends of yours."

He groaned again. "Alright, let's get this over with," he said reluctantly, and he started to lumber unhappily to the volatile scene.

But before she could let him go, Kagome stopped him. "Wait! You can't go in like that!"

"What? Don't tell me you're changing your mind, woman!"

"No," she countered. "It's not that. Remember how I told you that you need to keep a low profile because you're a hanyou? Well, people in my time still won't understand that."

"So what am I supposed to do about that? I'm not going to kill them just to keep my identity secret."

"Oh no! You don't have to do that!" Kagome exclaimed, and then she paused as she tried to think of a solution. Her eyes roamed around the hall and then she got a super idea. "That's it!"

Shuffling through a pile of cabaret costumes on the floor, she picked up a scarlet colored mask. "Here! Put this on! You can bust into the scene, and those bad guys will think you're just another model. Then, after you defeat them, your identity will stay safe because your face was mostly covered."

He froze and gave her a deadpanned expression. "Huh? Who would be stupid enough to believe that?"

"Um, the bad guys are _always_ that stupid," Kagome pointed out. Inuyasha sighed, feeling a sense of foreboding as he was pulled further into these modern games.

"Fine, fine, I'll wear the dumb thing if you think it'll protect my identity," he replied giving in, and Kagome helpfully tied the mask onto his face from the back. She slapped him on the back roughly and pointed vigorously ahead. "Go forth, Inuyasha, in the name of justice!"

"..the hell…?"

"Oh, shut up and just do it!"

Inuyasha grumped and slumped even more as he lumbered closer to the fight. "I still think this is a bad idea."

And as he disappeared down the hallway to the studio room, Kagome tip toed behind him trying to stay hidden in the shadows. When Inuyasha was out of her sight, Kagome couldn't help thinking about the situation. "Hrmm…if Inuyasha is like Superman, does that make me Lois Lane?"

Suddenly she heard a clamor, and Inuyasha had appeared onto the scene.

"Hey, who the hell are you?" called out one of them.

And then, Kagome remained unseen behind the costumes, watching on in suspense as danger began to unfold!

TBC…


	10. Unwanted Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Isis-Kitty for the beta job. Also, thank you to Laroche for doing some great artwork on Inuyasha in modern day clothes. SO HOT! Thanks for your support. All the chapters have been revised, and this fic is off hiatus.

"Who the hell are you?" one man yelled at him as Inuyasha charged onto the scene. He looked to his left and right, surveying the area and taking in how many people he'd have to defeat. He only regretted not having his sword.

'Hrmm… only five men and they look weak too,' Inuyasha said to himself, and his real goal was to finish this as soon as possible.

"I ain't telling you my name! I got a problem with you…" Inuyasha pointed to all the mobsters, and then continued, "And I got a problem with this guy too." Inuyasha pointed at Oogami and paused, and before the bad guys could speak, he cracked his knuckles and got a malicious gleam in his eyes. "Now who shall I pummel first?"

"Why you!" The lead mobster did not seem happy with Inuyasha's attitude or threats. He and his men quickly pulled out their guns and aimed for him. Grinning at him with confidence, Inuyasha became increasingly irritated with them.

He had seen guns before. Of course, these were smaller than the ones from his era, but he knew they no doubt caused some damage to flesh, and even at his alarming high rate of healing, he wondered if he could handle an onslaught of them. He cursed times like these when he wasn't wearing his fire rat kimono; sure, it was out of place in this time, but it was beneficial for protecting him in moments like these.

Well, he'd just have to be quick then. He stretched his claws, his joints popping noisily.

"Guys, it looks like one of Takeda's weird models decided to get into our business." The mobster gave him a toothy grin with a mouthful of gold and diamond teeth.

Inuyasha wondered why he was considered so weird, and then he remembered he was still wearing the mask. He only hoped that he'd rough them up so badly they'd have a few concussions and lose their memories of ever meeting him.

He watched them stealthily while they eyed him back, giving him their nasty grins. They sure were slow at taking a shot…

"You think you're a hero, eh? Boys, let's show him who he's messing with. Fire!"

The mobsters opened fire at him with an angry force, and in that second, he jumped above their rapid fire, lunging for them with his claws.

"Sankon Tessou!" Inuyasha yelled, and his youki surged through his fingers, clawing at their guns and ripping them in half. Some of the force from Inuyasha's attack flew onto the gunmen, slashing their clothes with blood pouring from open wounds. Scared, the men looked back at Inuyasha who was growling at them. He gripped one last gun in his hand and squeezed it, crushing the metal.

The mobster's lackeys hid behind their boss in fear, and he was just as terrified as they were. "Who are you? _What_ are you?"

Inuyasha's eyes gleamed red, and he cracked his knuckles again. This time his scare tactic was more effective.

"Takeda Oogami is my prey," Inuyasha responded in a deep growl. He pointed a clawed finger at the boss, who recoiled in fear. "You steer clear of him, and if I find out you've messed with him, I will finish what I started today."

The mob boss nodded his head in fright while his minions ran out the door of the studio in front of him. Bravely, the lead mobster said to Inuyasha, "I can't make the decision to let Oogami alone. You'll have to tell my boss."

Inuyasha's lip curled, and he didn't care about this guy's problems or his stupid boss. He just wanted this farce to end so Kagome and her family could be safe again. In a swift motion, he decked him on the nose, and Inuyasha felt bone break with the force. The man wailed, and blood gushed down his face.

"Your boss better not cross my path or I'll destroy him as well!" And Inuyasha grabbed the guy by his cuff and launched him through the open studio door.

Inuyasha sighed, and he looked over to Oogami, who was crouching and shivering in fear. Hesitantly, he looked up at Inuyasha with snot running down his nose. Scared, he looked into Inuyasha's angry eyes and then to his sharp claws. "What … what do you want? Don't hurt me!" Oogami put his arms over his body tightly as if he was ready for an earthquake.

"Shut up, you stupid ass. I'm not going to hurt you," Inuyasha retorted.

Oogami's eyes widened and he froze. His lip quivered. "You're not?"

"Well, not yet, not until you do me a favor. Not get your sorry ass up and look me in the eye!" Inuyasha ordered, and slowly Oogami rose, looking at Inuyasha fearfully.

Oogami's gaze roamed Inuyasha's form, and he gave him a puzzled look. "Hey, don't I know you?"

Inuyasha took off the mask, and Oogami gasped. "You're…you're that Inuyasha model!"

"I ain't no model! That stupid Riho bitch tricked me, and then she threatened my family! I came here to set things straight!" Inuyasha reached out and grabbed Oogami by the cuff of his shirt and lifted him off the ground. He growled at him, and Oogami continued to gape at him in shock, not knowing what to expect from him. "I saved you from those punks, now I want something from you. You leave me and my family alone, do you hear? And I'm never going to be conned in modeling for you again."

Oogami looked at him stupefied. He nodded slowly as Inuyasha's grip around his neck became tighter. "Yes… but…"

"No buts!" Inuyasha said, throwing him to the ground. Oogami made a sound of pain, and then looked up at Inuyasha's form hovering over at him, pointing a threatening claw in his face. "You leave me alone, and you tell that Riho bitch to stop bothering me as well. If I see any one of your ugly faces around me and my family, I'm trashing this whole studio and stringing you up for those guys once and for all."

"But…" Takeda seemed a little braver, but he continued to take in Inuyasha's threats. "How can I not bother you again…" Then he smirked. "When I know your secret?"

"Secret?" Inuyasha snarled at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

In one swift motion, Takeda had leaped over to him and removed Inuyasha's bandana. Inuyasha reached out an arm to stop him, but Takeda was too quick. Takeda twirled the bandana around his finger and winked at him happily. "Ah… ah… The secret is that you're not a human, are you? I should have known looking at your pictures. I'd even say you're a demon."

Inuyasha's jaw dropped, and the both of them heard a feminine gasp in the shadows.

"No! Inuyasha!" she screamed, and Kagome came running out to help Inuyasha. Inuyasha stood in front of her protectively, glaring at Takeda.

"Ah… so you were worried about her, that's why you were so intent on protecting your family."

"Shut up! I don't care if you know I'm a demon; you better stay away if you know what's good for you."

"Oh, calm down, Inuyasha-pii, I'm not going to blackmail you or anything. I realized what you did back there for me. I just want to be friends."

"Bullshit!" Inuyasha eyed him suspiciously. "There's gotta be something in it for you. I told you, I ain't modeling for you anymore."

Takeda pouted and whined, "Aw… you don't have to be so mean! I really am grateful, and I promise not to make you model anymore or threaten your family." He grinned at Inuyasha, who clenched his fists at his sides ready to pound him.

"Inuyasha… calm down," Kagome said, and then she turned to Oogami. Earnestly, she asked, "Oogami-san, I just wanted to know one thing."

Takeda looked at her curiously as she continued, "How did you know that Inuyasha was a demon? It's not like they're commonplace around here."

"Hrmm…" Takeda stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "Well, how do I put this…" He paused, looking straight at Kagome. "For one, don't be so naïve. I've seen demons before, but most of them are hiding in society's underground. I've worked for a few people who've employed demons as bodyguards. It's nothing unusual."

Inuyasha and Kagome looked at each worriedly and then back to Takeda in disbelief. "You're lying again! I would have picked up on their youki, and I barely feel anything."

Takeda shrugged. "This is the modern age, and a lot of them use technology to hide. I don't know much about 'youki' but I'm sure they can mask that too, for various reasons."

Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's hand and squeezed it. She looked scared. "Inuyasha, what if that presence we've been feeling is youki, and maybe just small random instances of it. I mean, didn't it seem strange to both of us that we could feel it? Maybe it was just someone passing by."

Inuyasha looked at her and then back to Kagome. "Kagome, this isn't the time for this conversation…" He glared at Takeda. "We have something else to take care of."

Takeda waved his hand. "Oh don't mind me. Consider us even for this afternoon." He rubbed his neck. "Man, I really thought I was going to die."

"I don't care," Inuyasha said rudely, and Kagome smiled in embarrassment by his side. "You just keep your promise."

Takeda jumped on him and hugged him from behind, which scared Inuyasha. "Oh, don't be mean, Inuyasha-pyon. I just want to be your friend now. Maybe you can help me when the bad guys come around again!"

"Not a chance!" Inuyasha said, trying to break free from Takeda's embrace.

"Wah!" Takeda cried dramatically, and Kagome couldn't help but laugh at the scene.

"Stop laughing, woman, and help get this bozo off me!"

"Yes, do help him or I'm going to steal your boy away!" Takeda teased, and Kagome was stunned. Inuyasha's face turned an unhealthy shade of green.

"Ah! Get him off!" Inuyasha said, finally flinging Takeda off, who just continued to smile adoringly at him.

"We need to go!" Inuyasha huffed, grabbing Kagome's hand. He pointed a finger at Takeda who began to pout. "You leave us alone, you here! I don't want to see you ever again."

"Oh, I don't think it's going to be that easy, my demon friend," Takeda purred, leering at him. Inuyasha growled, and Takeda laughed. "We will meet again."

Grumbling, Inuyasha pulled Kagome down the hallway toward the front door. Takeda beamed at them as they left, and Kagome looked behind her several times in wonder.

"Inuyasha, do you think he's serious?"

"About what?" Inuyasha snapped at her. He was still fuming about the whole incident.

"You know, about keeping your secret as a demon?" Kagome answered.

"Well, it doesn't really matter, does it? If he's right, then there are demons in your time able to live among humans and mask themselves."

"Yes, but… I'm really unsure about how accurate that is. I've never heard anything…"

"Kagome," Inuyasha interrupted her; he grabbed her shoulders and sternly met her eyes. "I think he might be right… about everything. It didn't seem he would lie. How would he know about demons anyway?" Kagome nodded, and then Inuyasha continued, "Besides, as much as I hate that guy, I think we should stay close to him. Maybe he's connected with the evil presence that's trying to find the jewel."

"Do you really think so?" Kagome asked, finding his theory somewhat farfetched.

Inuyasha sighed. "We don't have any other leads at this point, do we? Besides, if anything, I'd like to meet another demon from your time and ask them about how they've managed to live in secrecy this whole time." He bit his lip and looked ahead. He added, "Then maybe I can find an easier way of blending into your time and find more about their history."

Kagome nodded. They exited Oogami's studio, and as they came upon the bustling streets of Shibuya, they headed toward a bus station. The atmosphere between them remained tense, and Kagome actually felt tired from the day. Looking back on it though, she couldn't help but snicker.

"What's so funny?" Inuyasha asked beside her as they waited for the bus.

"Oh nothing, just you back there." She grinned widely. "You were like a super hero from a comic book at the way you busted into that scene. You roughed up those guys good."

Inuyasha shrugged but smiled at her compliment. "It's not any different than my usual way; you know that."

Kagome leaned into him and rested her head against his arm. Inuyasha squeezed her hand, reveling in the normalcy of her touch.

"I know, but it's more fun to see you do it in my time. It's something completely different to me," she replied, and then she looked up at him proudly. She sighed and said finally, "And no matter what time we're in, you always make me feel safe."

Inuyasha smiled, and he traced a finger lightly over her cheek. "I'll always make sure of that."

Their intimate moment was torn apart by the loud brakes of the bus. Inuyasha let Kagome walk ahead of them to pay as they got on the bus. They moved to the back, and Kagome rested her head against Inuyasha's shoulder and sighed.

"So, now what do we do since that photographer has been taken care of?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha frowned, not sure what they were going to do. Immediately, he thought of the activated Shikon Jewel. He looked around the empty bus and then replied, "We should check on the jewel and see if it allows passageway back to my era."

Kagome nodded, and she felt anxiety ball up in her stomach. "I hope it works," she said sadly. "I'm starting to miss them."

Inuyasha was silent for a moment. How did he really feel about going back to his time? Would he want to now that he's happy with Kagome in her time? Other than to check up on their friends, he really didn't know if he had a reason to go back. Finally he said, "I do too."

***

When they returned to the shrine, Kagome and Inuyasha rushed to take the jewel to the well house again. The jewel pulsed in her hands, and the surging power excited her as she hoped it would once again open the gateway to the feudal time.

Inuyasha took her hand. "Let's do this together." And Kagome nodded in agreement with him. Standing on the edge of the well, Kagome held the jewel as Inuyasha held her hand. They looked at each, nodded together, and then leaped into the well.

They closed their eyes, hoping to feel that inevitable catch.

Their feet hit the dirt, and frowning, they both looked up to see that nothing had changed.

"Damn it! It didn't work!" Inuyasha cursed, and Kagome leaned against the wall beside him. She scrunched her face in disappointment.

"I just don't get it," she said. "Why would it be active again, but not allow us passage to the past?"

"Keh," Inuyasha huffed. "I don't have a clue. If anything, it just pisses me off more."

Kagome bit her lip and looked up the well. "The jewel activates but still doesn't let us use the well. Now, someone seems to be looking for it here in my time. I just don't know what to do."

Inuyasha was silent for a moment, but then he sighed. "The only thing I can think of is that the jewel doesn't work for the well because we aren't needed in the past."

Kagome gave him an attentive look and said, "Hrmm… so it must mean we're needed here."

Inuyasha grunted. "Great. That means we're about to find more danger. I hate to think of it…" He paused and gave her an anxious look. "But I hope that if there are demons in your era, they're not looking for the jewel."

Kagome was stunned. "Modern era demons after the jewel?" She swallowed uncomfortably. "That's …"

"Scary," he finished. "Yeah, if that's the case, we're going to have to make a wish on the jewel."

"But we don't know what to wish for. I can't…" Kagome paused. "I don't know what unselfish thing I should wish for. I was hoping to use it back in your time, to make a wish to revive all the innocent people who were killed by Naraku."

"Can't you do that here?"

"I was afraid to make that wish, Inuyasha," she said with an solemn look. "What if I change history?"

"Good point," he responded, realizing her intentions. Suddenly, his ears twitched and he heard movement outside the well house.

"Hello!" a voice had screamed, probably from visitors to the shrine.

"Let's talk about this later," Inuyasha said, and Kagome nodded. He helped her climb out of the well back outside. They exited looking for the origin of the voice.

"Is anyone here? We're looking for Inuyasha and Ms. Kagome!" a woman called, and Inuyasha and Kagome spotted two people walking around the grounds calling for them.

Inuyasha surveyed them and furrowed his brow when he realized who they were. The man turned around and smiled in glee. It was Takeda and Riho.

"Ah! There you lovebirds are!" Riho exclaimed, and they rushed over to them. They looked over at Inuyasha and Kagome with enormous mischievous smiles.

"What the hell are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay away!" Inuyasha yelled at them as Kagome gaped by his side.

Takeda chuckled and waved his hand. "Oh come on, don't start that again, Inuyasha-ppe. How can I just let you go after what you did for me this afternoon?"

"Easy. Stay. The. Hell. AWAY!" Inuyasha screamed, and Takeda seemed offended.

"How mean! He's being mean to me, Riho-chan!"

"Inuyasha! How could you?" Riho patted the shoulder of her weeping sensei and gave Inuyasha a pitiful look. "We just wanted to take you guys out for dinner in appreciation! Why won't you accept our generous gift?"

And the two of them started wailing dramatically. Inuyasha sighed in frustration at the scene. Kagome looked at them with exasperation. "Those two…"

Then, the two of them jumped over and grabbed Kagome and Inuyasha by their arms, pulling them ahead. Beaming at them, they led them down the steps of the shrine.

"Come on! We've got reservations at a fabulous place!" Riho said, holding onto Kagome's arm cheerfully and flashing a dazzling smile.

"Yes! It'll be so fun, Inu-chan! You're just going to love it!" Takeda said joyfully, and then rubbed his head against his shoulder. Inuyasha struggled in his grasp. Takeda added, "Inu-chan, your hair is so soft!"

"Ah! Let me go, you pervert!" Inuyasha screamed, trying to shrug him off, but Takeda held onto him for dear life. Kagome laughed at the scene, and Inuyasha looked at her pleadingly.

"See, Inu-chan! Kagome wants to go to dinner! Don't you?" Riho eyed her expectantly.

"Well…I…"

"There! It's decided!" Riho said, holding up a victory sign. "Now off to the limo!"

"Hey!" Inuyasha yelled, but they were successfully taken away. Inuyasha might have struggled more, but he did want to learn more about the demons in this era, and maybe this was as good a time as any.

He sighed, and Kagome smiled sheepishly beside him. "Well, it appears we're being kidnapped." Inuyasha watched her and then her expression changed.

"What is it?" he whispered to her.

"You know that energy I was feeling earlier when someone was looking for the jewel?" she said to him. He nodded as Takeda and Riho continued to drag them along.

Kagome looked suspiciously to their new companions and said, "Well, I feel it again. And it's very close."


	11. Hide and Creep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Isis-Kitty for the beta job!

The underling's eyes followed the trail of ash that fell off of his boss' Cuban cigar. As usual, the lighting was poor inside the office, and the darkness only heightened his anxiety when he could not look into his employer's eyes. Because he couldn't read the emotions on his boss's face, it only deepened his fears, wondering if one little word would set the kingpin off.

"I'm sorry, sir, we failed to eliminate Takeda Oogami as you requested," the lackey spoke in a hurried voice, bowing his head and trying to keep his knees from knocking against each other.

After a moment of silence, his boss blew a cloud of smoke in his face across the desk, and the underling tried hard not to let it bother him, stifling a rising cough.

"Explain," his boss responded through the eerie silence.

"Well, uh," the underling spoke immediately, and his eyes widened when his boss took a quick puff of his cigar, indicating he was irritated the guy would dare to pause. "There was an unforeseen event. We thought Jinsou-sama would take care of him after nothing was done about his wife, but he was terribly injured by one of Takeda's models."

The boss took a heavy draught of breath and waved his hands. "Jinsou was a fool. I told him not to rely on that photographer to check on his wife. It was a petty endeavor that shouldn't have bothered with in the first place. Jinsou took my generosity for granted. I did not want him using my contacts as a source for his domestic disputes." The boss paused, and his underling noticed a reflected sheen on his slick brown hair, pulled back into a long pony tail behind him. "Jinsou is being taken care of for his mistake, and I trust when you take his place, you will not make the same mistakes." He put his cigar out, half smoked, and the underling nodded at him vigorously.

"Yes sir...I understand!" he replied again bowing.

"Good, now about Oogami Takeda... why was it so hard to kill him? He betrayed my trust, so for that, we must eliminate him."

"Did you find out more information on Oogami's new dealings?" His lackey braved the question.

"I did, and I'm not pleased. However, I am most interested in this certain model that came to save Takeda. What did he look like? How did he manage to defeat a force of skilled men?"

"That's the crazy thing, boss. It was like he wasn't even human. He fended off bullets, and then he attacked us with claws - like he was some kind of monster!"

"Interesting..."

"Another thing about him... he had long white hair, but I couldn't tell if he was Japanese because he had on a mask."

There was a long bout of silence, and then his boss lit up another cigar, relaxing in his chair with his feet on his desk. He moved into the light, and the lackey could see part of his face, his soft brown eyes shining almost golden as he stared ahead with deep pontification. Then the underling saw something that he'd never seen before, and it was almost frightening.

His boss had actually smiled.

***

As his passengers slid into the back seat, the limo driver clicked a button on his computerized dash, and then began dialing a number. He was sure, given his boss' up-scaled technology, the passengers they were delivering would not hear his conversation.

"Hello, sir, it's Kimikuro reporting in. Yes, I'm transporting them now."

The driver paused, looking behind to his four passengers and squinting to get a better glimpse of the new arrivals.

"No, sir, I cannot confirm if the item is on them. Either it's hidden in the house, or the miko has erected a strong barrier."

There was another pause, and the driver looked perturbed at what his employer was saying to him. He bit his lip.

"Yes, sir. I'll drop them off at the destination and return to search the shrine. Are you sending anyone to help me in case I need a power boost?"

The driver listened, and then he smiled. "Understood."

He clicked the button back on his dash, and then made an announcement through the speaker, welcoming his passengers into the limo.

***

Kagome felt violated.

And she was sure, judging by Inuyasha's disgruntled expression, that he felt even more violated than she did.

As Riho and Takeda had pushed them into the backseat of their limo, Kagome and Inuyasha were immediately accosted by their busy hands. Kagome had never groped so many times by a woman before, and Inuyasha probably had felt the same way about Takeda.

"Oh, that outfit will not do for where we're going. They would throw you out in an instant!" Riho exclaimed, grabbing Kagome's shirt collar and then clucking her tongue in disgust.

Kagome gaped, wondering what the hell was wrong with her outfit. Then she turned to Takeda, who nodded his head. "Hrmm... you are right Riho-chan. Inu-chan seems to be dressed okay, but Kagome-chan will have to undergo a serious makeover."

Okay, now she felt insulted. She felt fury rising in her belly, and she balled her fists at her sides. "Hey, whadda you mean serious makeover? How dare you!"

Riho and Takeda only laughed at her anger, and Riho patted her shoulder soothingly. "Now, now, Kagome-chan. We only want to help you. We want to take you and Inu-chan to a nice expensive place to thank you for helping us with those nasty characters."

Inuyasha huffed and leaned back into the limo seat. "We don't want your damn help, so turn this metal monster around and take us back to the shrine." He gave Riho a warning look, a look that prompted her to stop touching Kagome.

Then, Takeda surprised him and tackled Inuyasha, hugging him and begging him to say. Inuyasha became more enraged, and he started shoving Takeda off him, causing the limo to jiggle around. Kagome felt the vehicle wobble too much for comfort, so she screeched, warning Inuyasha to calm down.

"Get off me, weirdo!" Inuyasha barked, barely prying Takeda off him. 'Damn, he's strong for a human.' And that thought lingered through Inuyasha's brain, and in the back of his mind he began to wonder, hoping Kagome's time was not making him too soft on annoying humans.

"Oh, Inu-chan, please don't refuse our kindness! We just want to spend an evening with you and your lovely girl. Please, please, please, please, please...!"

"Shut up!" Inuyasha exclaimed, covering his ears. Kagome watched their interaction with mild fascination, wondering how their rapport felt so familiar. Finally, she sat back into her seat and sighed, pouting at Riho and then to Takeda. She knew they had to go with them and endure their unpredictable behavior. She was even sure that Inuyasha still didn't trust them, even with his general annoyance to their presence. Still, Kagome felt there was something 'off' about this limo, and it wasn't until Riho and Takeda showed up they'd been feeling that displaced youki again.

Riho continued to paw her, and Kagome became lost in her thoughts. Takeda had pushed a button, and from the back trunk of the compartment there was an extra storage compartment full of designer clothes. Riho fingered through them, babbling on about the perfect top to go with her 'plain black skirt' and then proceeded to hold several shirts up to her to choose just the right one. Kagome's mind droned off, and she started to get a strange feeling in her gut telling her something was wrong again. She looked up at the limo driver's rear view mirror, and suddenly locked gazes with him. She stared at him curiously, and he nodded his head at her.

Something just didn't feel right.

Kagome doubled over and moaned, "Oh... my stomach!" She leaned over Takeda's lap, who began to freak, screeching like a little girl.

"Ah! She's going to puke! Driver, stop! Stop, I say! These are Louis Vuitton velour slacks; I do not want girl-puke on them before we get to the club!"

The vehicle came to a halt, and Inuyasha jumped to Kagome with concern, pulling her close to him and out of the limo. She doubled over to the ground and then said very softly so his super hearing could hear. "The youki... I think it's coming from the driver."

Kagome faked some heaving, and then Inuyasha patted her back, looking nonchalantly over to the driver, who had come out of the car to check on his passenger.

"You okay?" Inuyasha bent down to her and Kagome nodded. Inuyasha met her gaze, and they shared a silent signal. Inuyasha understood what Kagome said and what he needed to do. He'd find out more about that limo driver for sure.

"Kami, is she alright?" Riho asked with a look of concern on her face. Inuyasha wondered if she really was concerned or if she was just faking it. She wondered if all of them were faking it, and looked suspiciously at Takeda and then to the driver. The driver had gone back to his seat, and Takeda was coming over to help Kagome off the ground.

"I'm alright. I didn't do anything. I just felt sorta sick."

"Thank goodness!" Takeda sighed in relief. "Now are we ready to go?"

Kagome stood up slowly, trying to play it out as much as she could. She nodded, and Riho and Takeda followed them back into their seats. Riho continued to pick out shirts for her, and then Inuyasha gave Takeda sour looks as he droned on about what a disaster it would have been if his clothes actually were puked on. Kagome looked over to Inuyasha and could tell in his eyes he was trying really hard not to punch Takeda, and he kept his focus on the task at hand.

They needed to find the source of that youki quickly and see exactly what the demon wanted.

***

"Oh, this one is good!" Riho held up a lacy green spaghetti-strap tank in front of Kagome's chest. Riho nodded approvingly and remarked, "Green is so your color." Kagome inwardly groaned, and then the woman began putting her fingers through Kagome's hair. Instantly, Riho had pulled Kagome's hair up into a fashionable bun, and then she began tugging at her shirt. She turned to Takeda and Inuyasha, who seemed entranced by Kagome's makeover, and then she shook a warning finger at them.

"Close your eyes, gentlemen," she chided, and Takeda rolled his eyes. Inuyasha glared at her, looked away and closed his eyes.

"As if I care what a girl's chest looks like," Takeda huffed. But quickly Inuyasha jabbed him on the knee, earning a submissive squeal from Takeda.

"Alright, alright, I'll look away!"

Riho laughed at them, and Kagome was inwardly glad violence was finally inflicted upon Takeda. Suddenly, in one swift whoosh, Kagome's shirt was over her head, and then Riho squeezed the chic tank top over her and through her raised arms. Kagome looked mildly impressed at Riho's fashion sense, and wondered idly if she could keep the shirt once they were done.

Before she could think anymore, Riho had slapped a large gob of foundation on her face, and then began massaging it into her skin. Instinctively, Kagome closed her eyes as Riho applied her make-up. While working with her, the woman babbled on to Takeda and Inuyasha, who were still bickering about Takeda's continuing inappropriate touches. And when he tried to 'fluff' Inuyasha's hair a bit before going to the club, Inuyasha took a swipe at him with his claws and narrowly missed the man's face. Needless to say, Takeda's face was more important than Inuyasha's looks. Takeda ended the conversation with a comment about how the rugged look was in again, and Inuyasha crossed his arms and continued to watch Kagome silently as Riho finished up her make up.

"There!" Riho held a mirror out in front of Kagome's face and beamed with pride. "What do you think?"

"Um…" Kagome couldn't help but grin. Even though Riho was pushy, obnoxious and weird, she did have a great eye for fashion. Kagome had never been so primped and polished before in her life.

"You look the slightest bit couture!" Riho bubbled happily. She waved her hand in the air and added cattily, "Of course, to be completely couture you'd have to have more defined cheekbones to go with that skin color."

Kagome grunted, giving Riho a dirty look as the woman shrugged it off again.

'Insults must be like drinking water to her,' Kagome mused, and she was sure the intense girl didn't have many friends. Despite having a motive for taking them to this club (for that much was obvious), the arrogant fashion gurus appeared to be having a great time.

'If only we could have a good time as well,' Kagome though mournfully, still feeling her psyche on edge with the rise of youki energy. She figured her suspicions had been correct about the driver since the youki only continued to rise as they spent more time in the vehicle.

Kagome looked over at Inuyasha, who watched her intently. She supposed he had some theories of his own, and Riho and Takeda had only been a distraction as they investigated this youki further. And Kagome knew that whatever this youki was, she was positive it had something to do with the Shikon jewel's odd behavior lately.

'There's no doubt someone is looking for the jewel, and they're using me to get to it. I can feel the energy tap into me sometimes, and it's only getting stronger,' she thought, averting her eyes from the limo driver in the rear view mirror. She looked out her own passenger window as Riho abandoned her and began fixing her own make up.

People and buildings buzzed by her view as they drove into the heart of Tokyo. Kagome knew that once they got to the club, Inuyasha would find a way to deal with the driver.

She only hoped he would be discreet.

As the limo stopped in front of the loud, bustling dance club, Kagome and Inuyasha got out of the car behind Takeda and Riho, and then looked at the place in awe. People waited in droves for the bouncer to let them in, bobbling nervously and hoping to look acceptable enough to win him over.

Kagome froze, and she played with the dangling bracelet on her wrist, nonchalantly tugging at the beads and then glancing over to Inuyasha.

They had been together long enough to pick up on each other's signals, and he just knew that she was up to something.

The beads on her bracelet snapped and fell to the ground. Kagome squeaked, "Oh! My bracelet!"

Riho rolled her eyes, and before Kagome could bend down to pick up the pieces that had fallen under the car, Inuyasha stepped up.

"Here, I'll get them," Inuyasha said, bending down and looking under the car. Kagome stood beside him nervously hoping no one would see that he was up to something.

With a quick flick of his claws, Inuyasha had punctured two of the limos tires. He picked the beads of Kagome's broken bracelet and placed them in her hand. He looked into her eyes deeply, and squeezed her hand before releasing his grasp.

Kagome thanked him, putting the beads in her purse. Suddenly, Riho locked arms with her and dragged her toward the entrance. The woman chattered happily in her ear, pulling her toward the front.

"We're too important to stand in line with these losers," Riho announced rather loudly, earning a multitude of nasty glares from the impatient crowd. With an iron grip on Kagome's wrist, Riho pulled her closer. Kagome glanced behind her and saw Takeda pushing Inuyasha through the congested crowd. The four of them came up to the bouncer, who looked Kagome and Riho up and down first, and then back over to Takeda and Inuyasha. The bouncer made eye contact with Takeda, and the photography grinned at him with the brightest smile. The bouncer huffed and then nodded.

"Oogami-san, four of you tonight?" he inquired, and it was no question Takeda was well-connected.

"Of course," Takeda replied with an air of arrogance. He put an arm around an anxious Inuyasha, who was trying to keep his cool around the myriad smells and sounds of all the people. Then, Takeda pushed them forward as the bouncer unhooked the red velvet rope. People scorned and complained as they were let inside ahead of them, and Inuyasha looked back through the angry crowd with curiosity.

The limo was already driving off, but unbeknownst to the driver, the air was slowly seeping out of his tires.

Inuyasha moved out of Takeda's grasp and pushed forward, grabbing Kagome out of Riho's arm and then pushing them aside in the sea of people. Hoping they were some distance away from Riho and Takeda's earshot, Inuyasha bent down to her ear closely so she could hear him.

"I have a bad feeling about that driver, Kagome. I think I delayed him for now," Inuyasha said.

Kagome nodded, and with a serious expression she replied, "We need to ditch these guys as soon as we can and leave. I have the same fear as you do."

Kagome looked off through the crowd back to the outside of the door. "Something's not right, Inuyasha. I can feel the youki getting stronger." And they both looked at each other with concern, as Riho and Takeda found them again through the crowd, directing them through the mass of people toward their private table.

Already uncomfortable, Kagome knew they couldn't stay long. Something bad was going to happen, and Kagome knew whatever this omen was, it was definitely going to affect her.

***

The limo driver cursed as he pulled over to a side street in a residential area not far from the Shibuya dance club. He whipped out his cell phone and eagerly punched the buttons with his fat fingers, awaiting his employer to pick up.

"Yeah, it's me. Listen, my tires were slashed, and I'm stranded in Chofu prefecture." He paused, listening to his boss on the other line. "I'm no where near the shrine. And changing two flats on this outdated limo will take up a lot of time."

He paused again, and then nodded to himself. "I understand. I'll be waiting for someone to pick me up and get a tow."

He pursed his lips and glared at the happy, suburban scenery around him. He knew that his boss couldn't send just anyone to the shrine to look for the jewel, and given his extensive training in averting miko purification practices, it was all up to him. His employer, of course, had other specialists in his field, but none of them could compare to his expertise – especially not since they were going against someone formidable like this particular miko and her legendary hanyou. He sighed, and then told his employer, "I suppose I'll have to check out the shrine afterward. Hopefully they won't be back from the club yet."

His boss rambled more orders from the phone, and the driver continued to nod. "Understood. I'll call Oogami and make sure he delays the girl and the hanyou even longer."

To be continued…


	12. Live for the Unexpected

Hojo stared anxiously at the Higurashi front door, and he swallowed an uncomfortable lump in his throat before he knocked.

'It just can't be true. Higurashi has a boyfriend?' His mind was abuzz of all the school-girl gossip from school about this new boyfriend, and Hojo couldn't believe Higurashi wouldn't tell him about it. He had thought they were – something, at least. Although, she had been sick an awful lot, and only recently was she healthy and going back to school again.

He heard movement behind the door, and he puffed out his chest with determination. He had to settle the rumor once and for all, and he would come in person to confront her.

"Yes?" Higurashi's mother answered the door, smiling sweetly at him with large brown eyes. Hojo blushed, realizing the familial similarities between Kagome and her mother.

"Pardon me, Ma'am, I'm Hojo, one of your daughter's classmates," Hojo said, a frog mysteriously lodged in his throat.

Mrs. Higurashi smiled. "Oh yes! You've been here before. Would you like to come in?"

"Um…Is Higurashi here?" he asked before stepping past the stoop. Mrs. Higurashi turned around and beamed at him.

"I'm sorry; Kagome is out with friends tonight." Hojo felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. At least her mother didn't she say was with her boyfriend.

"Oh, I see," Hojo said defeated. Mrs. Higurashi cocked her head to him, smile still in place.

"Would you like to leave her a message?" Mrs. Higurashi asked, watching his demeanor intently.

"Yes, I would appreciate that." Hojo looked away, scratching his head out anxiety.

He didn't want to be rude, but he just had to know some tidbit of information about Kagome's supposed boyfriend. He wondered if her mother would offer him anything if he hinted about it.

"I apologize for my forwardness, Mrs. Higurashi. But I would like to know if Higurashi would like to go out with me sometime, now that she's feeling better and going back to school."

"Oh, dear. I see," Mrs. Higurashi said, putting a hand to her cheek and frowning. She looked off into space. "I'm sure Kagome would still love to keep you as a friend, Hojo-kun, but I'm afraid she's seeing someone right now."

Hojo's eyes filled with intensity. "So it's true? I mean…" His voice trailed off, and his excitement waned. "The girls were right about Higurashi having a boyfriend." He sighed, shoulders slumping dejectedly.

Mrs. Higurashi treated him earnestly. "Kagome's been seeing Inuyasha for a long time. She met him at the hospital when she was sick," Mrs. Higurashi explained. Hojo was afraid of that. Nothing was more romantic than meeting true love bedside during an illness. "He is a family friend that was raised by monks. Kagome's grandpa knew his foster father."

"I see." Hojo looked mournfully around the Higurashi household, and he realized he would miss the life and effervescence that Kagome brought to his days with her presence. He was the loser in this game, and by Mrs. Higurashi's expression, Kagome and her boyfriend seemed pretty serious.

_'He's gorgeous too! Did you see that long blond hair? It's almost silver! And those light brown eyes! I haven't seen a Japanese man with that color of eyes for a long time!'_ Hojo remembered Yuka gushing about him at lunch time, and he overheard their conversation.

"Hojo-kun, are you alright?" Kagome's mom yanked him out of his thoughts and watched him with concern. "You seem pale."

Hojo gave her a weak smile. "No, I'm fine, Mrs. Higurashi. I should probably get going. Sorry to trouble you."

Mrs. Higurashi stepped back and frowned. Suddenly, her expression turned and her eyes lit up. Hojo had seen Kagome's eyes light up in a similar way. She asked him, "I know! Are you free for an hour? I already made dinner, but Grandpa and Souta are out tonight having dinner with some of Souta's soccer friends. I didn't plan on it, and I made all this food." Hojo saw Mrs. Higurashi move closer to him excitedly, as if she wanted to keep a secret between them. "You wouldn't want to stay for dinner and help me eat it, would you?"

"Um…" Hojo backed off slightly at her forwardness. He couldn't help himself, and soon he became trapped in Kagome's mother's smile. He swallowed uncomfortably. Mrs. Higurashi was still pretty good-looking for her age, he thought. And he knew those kinds of thoughts were dangerous.

The truth was he didn't have any plans, so an impromptu meal wouldn't compromise his night.

"I suppose." Hojo grinned sheepishly at her, a faint pink rising to his cheeks. "It would be awful if good food went to waste. What's on the menu?"

He laughed, and Mrs. Higurashi took his arm, directing him toward the kitchen. He almost bit his tongue when she pulled him forward, for he did not expect her boldness. However, the more time he spent time with her, the more her smile entranced him.

"We're having Tonkatsu tonight, so I hope you brought your appetite." She giggled and picked up her chopsticks, saying a blessing for the food. Hojo came over to the table to sit with her and echoed her blessing. He took a bite of the fried pork and felt his taste buds cheer in victory.

Mrs. Higurashi was a really good cook!

He glanced over at her, and she was watching him anxiously.

"Well? How is it?"

"Mmm, this is wonderful, Mrs. Higurashi." Hojo smiled at her. "Thank you so much for inviting me!"

"Eat up!" She laughed at him, and they continued to eat their meal in a relaxed, contented atmosphere.

Before Mrs. Higurashi could take another bite, she looked up from her dinner momentarily as a phone rang. Hojo noticed it wasn't her home phone, but the ring was from a cell phone instead. He wondered if someone was calling with an emergency.

Mrs. Higurashi excused herself with a polite smile and took the phone into the next room. Hojo could barely make out what she was saying but eavesdropped anyway.

"I understand. So you're sending someone over?" Mrs. Higurashi paused to listen to the response. She smiled a different smile than her more typical, joyous smile. It was a grin that held a lot of mystery. "I'm not worried, and neither should you be. Don't worry; I'm confident that it is safe. Goodbye then."

Then, Mrs. Higurashi turned her full attention back her guest as if the call was easily forgettable.

***

As Kagome had to ward off the third offer of alcohol, Riho bemoaned in annoyance at her naïveté, and Takeda sighed in exasperation.

"Girl, you are so not fun," he said, wiggling his finger at her. Inuyasha gave him a dangerous look. Before the hanyou could retort, Takeda's phone rang again. Inuyasha watched him look down at the number, and then his lips pursed in aggravation.

"Will you excuse me? I have to take this to somewhere I can hear," Takeda said sweetly, yet the look on Inuyasha's face indicated he was happy to get rid of him. Takeda turned to Riho. "Don't let these lovebirds out of your sight okay?" He turned a seductive glance at Inuyasha, whose stomach rolled at the sight. "I have so many plans for them!"

"'Kay!" Riho cooed back, and the duo gave each other obnoxious air kisses before Takeda wandered off.

Kagome gave Inuyasha a sideways glance and when Riho wasn't looking, Kagome nodded her head to the large, colorful drink in front of her. Riho sipped it happily, glancing back at Kagome and Inuyasha and moving in her seat to the beat of the energetic dance music.

"Isn't this place great?" Riho gushed, and Kagome rolled her eyes. She turned her attention back at Inuyasha, and she could tell he received her signal.

Not a moment too soon, Inuyasha moved a clumsy elbow and knocked the colorful and _expensive_ drink into Riho's lap. She squealed loudly, blotting the drink hastily with nearby napkins.

"You clumsy oaf! This a Vera Wang ensemble! How dare you!" she continued to scream at him, but Inuyasha only gave her a quick, gruff apology which only incensed her further. She stomped off to the bathroom, leaving Kagome and Inuyasha alone.

"Phew!" Kagome sighed in relief, and Inuyasha anxiously looked around for Takeda, hoping they could ditch both of them.

Inuyasha asked quickly, "Do you want to get out of here?" Kagome nodded.

"I have a feeling we should go back to the shrine right now," Kagome suggested. Inuyasha shook his head.

"No, we need to go after that limo." Inuyasha made a noise of annoyance, and Kagome watched his ears flatten against his head. The music was obviously unnerving him.

"Let's leave this fucking place." He quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her swiftly through the sea of dancers. They moved out an exit door and found themselves back in an alley.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Kagome exclaimed, taking a breather as she leaned against the brick wall of the building. "I really can't stand those two. They are so annoying!"

"Well, now we don't have to deal with those assholes," Inuyasha said. "If we find the limo driver, we can follow him back to the source." Inuyasha clenched his fist, and his eyes gleamed ready for a fight. Kagome realized that her era still hadn't tamed him.

Kagome sighed again, and she looked to the sky. "You know, Inuyasha," she said in a low voice. "I really don't want to deal with this again. I'm sick of fighting. Aren't you? I mean, the fight with Naraku was so long and full of darkness." She turned to him with honest eyes. "I don't know if I can go through it again."

"Hey, hey, it's alright." He moved over to her, and he came close to her face. He took her hands, and leaned his forehead against hers lovingly. "I'll always protect you, Kagome. No one is ever going to touch you, ever. You're safe."

"I know," Kagome whispered, smiling and nuzzling her forehead against his in return. "That's what makes you wonderful, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha said nothing, and Kagome could feel his hot breath against her cheek. They had precious little time alone together, especially after getting mixed up in the whirlwind of these odd situations. Kagome had hoped once they defeated Naraku, they would finally get time alone – and then _maybe_ their relationship could finally grow.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha said her name, and his tone sent shivers down her body. She moved her hands and snaked them around his neck, pulling him forward. His lips were millimeters from hers.

"We probably should go," Kagome whispered, but her heart was screaming at her to defy those words. Lightly, she planted a soft kiss on Inuyasha's lips.

With a fierce growl, Inuyasha captured her lips with his, diving his tongue into her mouth and lapping up her taste. Kagome moaned and cooed, her sounds vibrating against the inner walls of his mouth.

She ran her fingers through his hair, pulling his head forward as he pushed her hard against the brick wall. She wanted so desperately to feel his ears, but she was prevented by his bandana, and opted not to risk exposing him. Her pelvis bucked into him – heady, ready and expecting more of his touch. Inuyasha drove a hand below, lifting up her leg and caressing her thigh upward toward the heat under her short skirt. Kagome moaned as she felt his clawed fingers lightly and cautiously trace over her damp panties, moving past the material and pushing a soft knuckle against her entrance.

"Ungh," she cried, releasing his mouth as Inuyasha trailed soft kisses down her jaw line. He continued to rub his knuckle against her, slowly and tortuously.

Her scent was overwhelming him, and as he made her wet, his lower regions screamed to take her, hardening and poking against her in his rising excitement.

"Kagome…" He whispered her name throatily, and Kagome thought it was the most beautiful voice she's ever heard.

"Please, Inuyasha," she begged, moving her hips and taking in more of his knuckle as he pushed past the skin.

"Oh gods," he moaned, and he put a hand in his pants, nudging past the constricting material of modern clothes and pulling down the zipper. He grabbed himself, hardened and seeping with premature excitement. He rubbed himself as she bucked against him, and he cried in her hair. He turned to rub his nose against the shell of her ear. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, please, just…"

He squeezed his hardened arousal once again, gritting his teeth, ready to tear himself from the zippered pants.

As he was about to hike up her hips and push inside her, the door at the exit creaked open.

Inuyasha's eyes widened, and he quickly let himself go, shielding Kagome against him. He zipped up his pants and looked over his shoulder to the intruder. Kagome's hands left his shoulders and fiddled with her skirt, anxiously trying to regain her composure in front of their sudden visitor.

"There you two are!" Riho's expression was different than her usual confident sneer. Inuyasha and Kagome looked at her curiously; the woman actually appeared worried.

"Hey! Get out of here! Can't you see we we're busy?" Inuyasha yelled at her, but Riho's panicked demeanor didn't change.

"What's wrong, Riho-san?" Kagome asked concerned.

"It's Takeda-sensei!" she cried worriedly. "He was taken away by gangsters! I went to go look for him, and he was being pushed outside the club, and they forced him inside a black van!" Riho turned to Inuyasha and grabbed his sleeve. She looked at him desperately. "Please, you have to help him! After what you did to save him last time, they're surely going to kill him!"

"Look, I don't care what happens to that jerk anymore!" Inuyasha said, pushing her off. Kagome looked at him ruefully. "It was his own fault he got involved with those people. I'm not about to go around helping anymore stupid humans. Find yourself someone else!"

"Inuyasha…"

Inuyasha snarled at Kagome, hoping to deter her from having to help them anymore. "No! These two have been nothing but trouble since we've met them! Now all I want to do is keep you safe and finally get some time alone with you! I don't want to deal with any more strangers! It's bad enough these humans know my secret! I wish they would just leave us alone," he ranted, and he turned away from Riho and grabbed Kagome's hand.

Before they could leave, Riho cried aguishly behind them. "Please, you have to help. These aren't just about helping humans anymore! The people that took him away were demon thugs! There's no way a normal person could help him!"

Inuyasha stopped in his tracks, and Kagome turned around with a gasp.

"Did you say demons? Here at this club?" Inuyasha asked her. Riho nodded to him, tears streaming down her face.

Inuyasha turned to Kagome. "We were right. We did sense demons here."

"We have to help Oogami-san. His life is still in danger, and if we go after him, we'll find out more about the demons in this era." Kagome met his gaze with worry yet defiance. "What if these demon mobsters are the ones trying to hone in on me? Inuyasha, we have to find out!"

Inuyasha nodded, yet he let go of Kagome's hand. "But you stay here. I'll fight these demons and get that jerk back on my own."

"But Inuyasha!" Kagome protested, but Inuyasha shook his head.

"I said I would protect you. I don't know what these modern demons are like, so I won't put you in danger anymore. Go straight home and make sure everything is okay at the shrine." He gave her a stern look, hoping she knew what he meant. He didn't want to mention the jewel in front of Riho.

Kagome nodded. "I understand. Be careful, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha gave her one hard look before leaning down and leaving her with the memory of a heated kiss. He whispered against her lips, "We'll finish that later." And he bounded off toward the front of the club as Riho and Kagome watched him in the distance.

Suddenly, Kagome froze, and she felt Riho creeping up closer behind her. She squealed as Riho's hand came around her mouth, and suddenly, she smelled something strong and felt her surroundings fade into darkness.

"I'm sorry, Kagome-chan," Riho said, as Kagome slumped against her. She tossed the rag full of chloroform aside, and looked over her shoulder.

A man came out of the shadows and put Kagome's body over his shoulder. Riho watched his back as she followed him toward the front, shame and sorrow storming in her eyes.

TBC…


	13. Into the Mix

As Inuyasha rushed to the scene in front of the club, he was shocked to find Takeda Oogami alive and well, chatting up the mobsters who had supposedly kidnapped him. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, plopping right in front of him with a questioning glare.

"Ah, Inu-chan, so good to see you again," Takeda said sweetly, though his voice dripped with poison. His usual effeminate, happy-go-lucky disposition had immediately disappeared, as he approached Inuyasha challengingly.

"What the hell is going on? Riho said you were in trouble," Inuyasha snapped. His eyes darted around the meaty guys surrounding Oogami and standing in front of the black van, ready for a fight. "Who the fuck are they?"

"Well, Riho is a little dense. As you can see, I am certainly not in trouble," Takeda purred. The men around him laughed. Inuyasha's eyes widened. It was like they were his underlings!

Inuyasha started to back away, fearful for Kagome. Instinct told him that he'd better find her soon if Riho and Takeda were obviously up to something, and he began to spin around on his heel, ready to jet back to the alley.

"Where are you going Inuyasha? Wouldn't you like to know what we're up to?" Energy in the air spiked, causing Inuyasha's ears to twitch. His mind screamed 'Demon!', and he turned back around to see Takeda's aura glowing.

"You fucking bastard! I knew there wasn't something right about you," Inuyasha spat, pointing a finger at Takeda. Inuyasha looked around, sizing up his opponents. Finally, he began to feel inadequate lounging in modern street clothes while his fire rat kimono and Tessaiga were back at Kagome's house. Sure, he could probably take out these jerks with his claws and a lot of improvisation, but he knew that he was somewhat vulnerable without his sword and fire rat.

And if his demon blood got out of hand...

"Here she is boss!" a voice called behind him, and Inuyasha spun around to see a large goon carrying Kagome over his shoulder. He growled, his blood rising to see his precious Kagome captured and carried like some sack of meat. She was unconscious too, which only fueled his anger.

"You assholes! What have you done to Kagome? I'll tear you limb from limb!" He lashed at them and ran straight for the man holding Kagome, ready to set her free. However, he was suddenly stopped but an unexpected barrier of electricity, which shocked him in the air and sent him backward on his hind end.

Immediately, Inuyasha jumped up from the ground, clenching his fists as the men circled around him, looming over him and ready to pounce. He inwardly harrumphed. This fight was going to get messy.

"That's enough, Inuyasha," Takeda ordered with his voice dominant and controlled. "You better stand down or we'll hurt your pretty little miko."

Inuyasha looked up, pissed and ready to charge anyway. When he noticed Riho behind the guy carrying Kagome, he glared at her – having no doubts to attack her, woman or not. "You bitch!"

Riho frowned at him with deep shame in her eyes. She looked away awkwardly from Inuyasha's accusing gaze, and she moved behind one of the goons, out of sight. Takeda chuckled behind him.

"Ah, don't blame her, Inu-chan. She's doing this out of a contract to save her brother." Takeda crossed his arms and smiled wickedly. "So pathetic."

"What the fuck do you want?" Inuyasha raged at him, turning around and moving within inches of Takeda's face. He tried to grab a hand at him, but the electric field was pulsing around Takeda, holding him back.

"What we want is for you to cooperate." Takeda shot a glance to Kagome's unconscious form and met Inuyasha's gaze again. "Let's just say our boss has certain interests concerning the Higurashi shrine and its inhabitants." He chuckled arrogantly. "It was so easy to get close to you, Inuyasha. Did you know that?"

"Shut up! Just let Kagome go, and I'll talk to your boss," Inuyasha sneered, his eyes still flickering to Kagome's position.

"Oh, it's going to take a lot more than that to make our boss happy. You both have to come, and there will be no resistance," Takeda said, wiggling a finger at him. A stream of lightning ignited in his hand.

"You're the demon I've been sensing, aren't you!" Inuyasha announced.

"Actually, I'm more a hanyou than a demon," Takeda answered, and he shut his eyes, and his face suddenly morphed right before him. Inuyasha watched suspiciously as Takeda's true form was revealed. Two demonic markings were on his forehead, and clouds buzzed at his feet. His once dark eyes had turned blood red.

"You're a thunder hanyou," Inuyasha observed. "But how were you able to mask your youki?"

Takeda grinned widely. "You have much to learn about modern era demons, Inu-chan. Did you think you were the last one?" Inuyasha glared. "Don't be a fool. We're everywhere, and there are a lot more of us than you think."

"So!" Inuyasha snorted. "What does this have to do with Kagome and me?"

"Patience, my friend." Takeda spoke to him in mock soothing. He turned to his goons and snapped his head to the black van. Takeda met Inuyasha's gaze again, danger flickering within his carmine eyes. "It's time to go. My boss wants to see you."

"Fuck!" Inuyasha spat, launching a spit ball at his feet. "Fine. I'll go see him. But I'm warning you to not mess with Kagome or your boss will regret it."

Takeda's guffaws echoed in the hanyou's ear. "You're really sure of yourself, aren't you? Be warned, inu-hanyou. My boss is someone not to be trifled with."

"Keh! I've defeated worse! Ever hear of a hanyou named Naraku?" Inuyasha's golden eyes were just as intense. He began to follow behind the goon who put Kagome inside the back of the van. Takeda continued to watch him.

"Of course, which is the interesting part of this," Takeda said. He filed into the vehicle behind Inuyasha, who immediately took the seat to Kagome's side. The moment his arm brushed against hers, she began to wake, a pained guttural noise emitting from her throat.

"Wha...Inuyasha?" she said sleepily, her voice crackling. She blinked her eyes open and vigorously looked around. When the situation became clear, she gaped at her captors and leaned into Inuyasha instinctively. Her eyes wandered over the forms of Takeda and several large men she didn't recognize. Youki crackled intensely inside, making her holy powers inwardly shiver. Her attention moved to the front of the van, and she noticed Riho in the passenger seat, giving the duo an anguished look.

"Kagome..." Inuyasha began, concerned for her health. Kagome clutched Inuyasha's arm and scrutinized at their captors. Her eyes fell on Takeda, but he looked slightly different.

"What's going on? Did Riho...?"

"They betrayed us, Kagome. They were in it from the start." Inuyasha caught Takeda smiling smugly.

"They're youkai," Kagome said, and Inuyasha nodded beside her.

"It's a pleasure to be in your presence, famous miko Kagome Higurashi," Takeda said, bowing lightly. His electricity charged at her, scaring her back against the seat.

"Cut the bullshit, Oogami!" Inuyasha snarled, putting a protective arm in front of Kagome. "Now just what does your boss want anyway?" Inuyasha bared his teeth, but he tried to remain calm. He wanted to rip off the heads of everyone in this van, but he thought it best to quell his rising youki. He didn't have his sword to protect him or Kagome from his unbridled rage. For Kagome's sake, he'd play along with these assholes until he met the boss. Then, he was going to rip him with his claws and ask questions later.

"As you know already, the Shikon no Tama is in this era. My boss knows this, and many other demons across the world know this, thanks to the internet and black market channels. However, even though many demons are salivating to get their paws on the jewel, only one youkai will actually get it."

"Lemme guess, your boss?" Inuyasha droned. He was starting to get sick of how wonderful this elusive boss was supposed to be. He wondered if his minions would consider him so wonderful once he pounded his fist through his skull. But all in due time.

"Yes. You see, my boss is the only deserving youkai to gain the jewel. And when he does, he'll unleash a demonic stronghold onto the world, and humans will no longer be in control. Persecuted hanyou and exiled demons will rise to the forefront, and humans will bow to their feet, begging for mercy." Takeda's eyes sparkled. "And my boss will be their compassionate ruler, proud and strong."

Inuyasha grunted. "It's the same old shit, isn't it? You bad guys are all the same. It's not like he's the first demon to want the jewel to rule the world. Keh! Pathetic." He spat at his feet again. Oogami frowned at him with distaste.

He gave Inuyasha a dangerous look and continued with his story. "It does not matter what you think, inu-hanyou. Once we retrieve the jewel from your shrine, you and whatever other adversary that challenges us will be powerless."

After mentioning the Higurashi shrine, Kagome shot Inuyasha an uncomfortable look, which only pleased Takeda more.

"So, the jewel _is_ hidden somewhere at the shrine?" Takeda chuckled. "You might have stalled our man for a short time after arriving at the club, but we're sending someone else there right now." Takeda leaned in and addressed them in a malicious whisper. "And he'll tear through the shrine and leave nothing and no one in tact until he finds it."

"No! My family!" Kagome shrieked, and she lunged at Takeda instinctively. Inuyasha quickly pulled her back, saving her from a stream of electricity charging right in front of her nose.

Takeda crowed again loudly, and Kagome slumped back into Inuyasha's arms with fear and anguish. She turned her head, and began to bawl into his shirt as he clutched her tightly. Inuyasha glared at Takeda fiercely, watching their kidnappers with battle on his brain.

'No one makes Kagome cry like this. These bastards are all going to pay.'

***

Three dark figures stood above the top of a manufacturing building, peering through binoculars at a dark van of particular interest creeping down the highway.

"Here they come," one of them said, running his hands through dark, layered hair. His two comrades rolled their eyes at him. He was always touching his hair.

"Do we attack?" said another with a large white Mohawk. As he shifted in his spot, his metal chains beat against his leather coat, clanging together.

"We haven't gotten word yet from the boss," answered the other one, with salt and pepper unkempt hair slightly covering his face. He looked at his superior with expectation, and in turn, the man only glowered.

"What's taking that bastard so long? They're practically right in front of us!" Suddenly, his cell phone went off, and he put the binoculars quickly away. "Yes?" he answered, and his blue eyes shot to his comrades, indicating that it was just the call they needed.

"Yep, they definitely got them. They're on their way to their boss now. And yes, it's Takeda behind it all." The blue-eyed tanned youkai paused. "You don't need to tell me that! I've wanted to ice this guy from the beginning." He paused again, and his subordinates looked on in curiosity, wishing they could hear the conversation. "Alright, we'll do it. Permission to use the Neutralization Cannon OX-600?" He smiled, his fangs showing. "Good. We're on it. See you back at Central in two."

After flipping off his phone, the leader turned to his men and smiled excitedly. "Get the cannon ready. We're going to buzz the hell out of them."

"But won't the cannon hurt the miko and inu-hanyou too?" the one with the Mohawk had asked.

His superior shrugged with a small glint of delight apparent in his cobalt eyes. "He doesn't seem to think they'll be hurt from it, just stunned enough so we can grab them and get them out of there." The other one looked at him skeptically. "Don't worry, she'll be fine." He smiled with reassurance, and hesitantly, they moved to get the cannon ready.

***

Suddenly, the van jarred and came to an abrupt stop. Takeda swore, his energy flaring slightly within the van. Inuyasha moved to shield Kagome, feeling a sizzle on the ends of his hair.

"What's going on? Why are we stopped?" Takeda yelled, craning his neck to the front.

"I'm sorry, boss, but there are three guys in front, blocking our path."

"Well, run right through them, idiots!" Takeda snapped, perturbed at their caution.

"We can't, Oogami-san," Riho said, still pouting from betraying Inuyasha and Kagome. "It's the Vigilantes."

"Damn!" he swore, and Inuyasha saw Takeda seriously flustered for the first time. These Vigilantes sounded like an enemy to their boss, and Inuyasha thought the timing couldn't be more perfect.

"Everyone transform and use your Youki Boosters. Someone put up a Level 3 barrier quick!" Takeda yelled at his underlings, and they scrambled to move. Yet, Riho stayed frozen in her spot, looking at their adversaries with a pale face.

"Um… I don't think a simple barrier is going to work," she said, her voice trembling.

"Why the hell not?" And Takeda had climbed up to the front to get a better view of them. His eyes widened when he realized what Riho met. "Shit!"

One warning shot of green plasma-like energy was launched in their direction, barely skimming the front door handle of the van.

"They're playing with us!" Takeda shouted, and Inuyasha could hear distinct hooting from outside the van. He clutched Kagome tightly, and she trembled against him, not sure what to make of this new development.

Another shot was fired, and Inuyasha watched it directly as it streamed toward the front window of the van. Riho and the driver screamed, turning away to shield themselves. This one wasn't going to miss.

The van jangled uncontrollably, and as the plasma struck the metal of van and conducted the energy throughout the inside, everyone screamed in pain as the shock scratched at their nerves.

Inuyasha winced as he too felt pain – an incredible ache that shot through his youki, zapping his power and causing dizziness. He tried to stay strong for Kagome, who screamed with tears streaming down her cheeks, glowing pink and then fading as the plasma absorbed it. He watched her fall unconscious, and his own eyes started to feel heavy from the blow.

And in between slumber and the fight to stay awake, Inuyasha felt strong hands pull at him and Kagome. There was a laugh echoing in his head, and the voice started to sound familiar.

He sniffed lightly, and the scent of their rescuers seemed recognizable. Yet his nose wrinkled, and he fought his own unconsciousness futilely as Kagome was taken from his arms.

Darkness crept over his eyes as he hung onto his last thought. Whoever their saviors were, he sure didn't like the smell of them.

To Be Continued…


	14. Hey, I Remember You

Wrinkling his nose, Inuyasha realized in his daze that the scent fluttering around him seemed oddly familiar. It was an 'oddly familiar' scent that didn't settle too well in his nostrils. He sneezed.

Inuyasha jerked awake and darted his eyes around his surroundings. He glared as he met the blue eyes of someone he hadn't seen in a long while - someone very annoying.

"Dog breath, glad to see you're finally awake!" His rival gave him a wolfish grin. Inuyasha's eyes widened.

"How ...?" And Inuyasha turned to his side, worried for Kagome. Thankfully, she was sleeping soundly beside him. He then turned to their rescuers and pointed his clawed finger at the leader. "You! What are you doing here? How'd you get through the well, you mangy wolf?"

Automatically, Kouga crowed with laughter. "I didn't go down no well, Inu-kuro. I lived out those five hundred years like the rest of the demons." He jabbed a thumb behind him. "Although, those guys could barely keep up with the times."

"Hey!" the other two wolf demons protested in sync.

"Keh, whatever! What the hell is going on here, huh? How did you know to rescue us? Who were those guys?"

Kouga sniffed. "Jees! Settle down!" He gave Inuyasha a cocky grin. He waggled a finger at him teasingly. "All will be explained when we get back to our base. There's someone there who's very anxious to see you again."

Inuyasha gaped as Kouga continued to chuckle at him. He looked around his surroundings, and he noticed they were outside near the road, hiding on an incline behind thick bramble and bushes. Kouga turned around when his comrades called him, and Inuyasha listened to their conversation.

"They took the bait, Kouga," the one with the Mohawk said. Inuyasha never could get their names straight. He assumed the one with short gray and black hair was Ginta, and the one with the Mohawk was Hakkaku. Though even after all these years, they still sort of looked the same (except for Kouga, who's hair was shorter and all over the place), and the three of them were covered in crude piercings and specially formed leather hides. Inuyasha remembered Kagome talking about people who wore such clothes, blathering out a foreign phrase that was pronounced like 'grease monkey'. Inuyasha just thought they looked ridiculous more than anything.

"Are the youki scent pellets set on a timer, Hakkaku?" Kouga asked, peering through the binoculars. Inuyasha squinted and could see a moving vehicle in the distance. The vehicle looked vaguely familiar to Takeda's van.

"Hey! That's the guy!" Inuyasha yelled, startling Kouga's two lackeys. They shushed him, and Kouga turned around and gave him an angry glare.

"Will you just sit back while we take care of them? Jees!" Kouga lashed at him, and Inuyasha drew back offended. Usually, he would pound Kouga or butt him with his sword for saying such a thing, but he held back, wondering what the hell kind of work the wolf turd had meant. He then heard Kouga mumble, "That ice prince better pay me double for dealing with this idiot." The phrase made Inuyasha's ears burn to hear. He had a strange feeling he knew just what Kouga had meant.

"Look! They're going in circles. They must have last years model for a tracking system." Kouga nodded in affirmation to Ginta, turning back to face Inuyasha.

"What's going on?" Inuyasha demanded. He grabbed the collar of Kouga's jacket. Kouga batted his hand away and sighed.

"We're trying to get those assholes off our trail. We were betting on them having an out of date tracking system, and it seems we were right. We don't want them pursuing us while we take you guys back to our base. Now just sit tight and we'll go as soon as they leave," Kouga answered.

Inuyasha was silent for a moment, and then a thought occurred to him. "Are you guys the Vigilantes they were talking about?"

Kouga returned his question with a fanged grin. "We're something like that." He turned back to peer through the binoculars, tracking the van's changing course, right in the opposite direction of where they were hiding.

"Heh, yeah, sometimes they consider us a big pain in their ass," said Ginta. Hakkaku gave him a quick high five.

"This is just... "Inuyasha felt totally dumbfounded. Meeting up with these guys again in the modern era was something out of a bizarre nightmare. And then they dressed just like the humans, and their speech had picked up the weird modern dialect that Kagome's had. It was like they weren't from the feudal era at all! "This is just fucking crazy!"

Kouga rolled his eyes, and he was about to respond with a quip, but then Kagome stirred away next to Inuyasha's side.

Her voice crackled as she murmured, "Inuyasha ...?" She started to sit up from her spot, feeling a soft blanket beneath her. She wiped her eyes and blinked as Inuyasha and three others looked down at her with concern.

"Are you alright, Kagome?" Kouga asked with a smooth voice.

Suddenly, she slapped a hand to her cheek and her eyes widened. She squealed with surprise. "Oh Gods, it's Kouga!"

Her outburst had sent Kouga's comrades into fits of chuckles. Ginta was even starting to cry. "Oh man, Kouga, why do all the ladies have that horrified look on their faces when they wake up to you?" Then, Hakkaku began laughing louder, and even Inuyasha couldn't suppress a smirk.

"Shut up, you bastards!" Kouga snarled at them, waving a closed fist in their direction. Kagome continued to stare at them in bewilderment.

"Am I dreaming?" she asked, looking at Inuyasha.

Kouga grabbed her hand. "Do you usually dream about me, Kagome?"

"Stop that, jerk!" Inuyasha smacked his hand away, giving him a dangerous glare. Kouga snickered.

"No, Kagome. These bums rescued us from Oogami." Inuyasha looked at the offended parties and said, "They say someone wants to see us."

"He does, although he may be more interested in the miko than you, Dog Pile," Kouga replied, crossing his arms.

"Let me guess, he wants the Shikon jewel too?" Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "I'm surprised at you, Kouga. After five hundred years you're just a pathetic minion for some power hungry demon!"

"Hey!" Kouga put his hands up in defense. "It's not like that, alright? We're the good guys - as hard as that is for you to believe." Kouga turned to Kagome and said earnestly, "And we're not after the jewel." His smile intensified. "Besides, we already have it."

"What?" Kagome and Inuyasha both shouted in unison.

"Kouga! I'm not sure the boss wants you to say that to them just yet," Hakkaku chided.

"Quiet, they're going to find out anyway," Kouga said.

"Yeah, but is it worth that death glare the boss always gives you for screwing up?" Ginta moaned.

"Hey, you guys listen here! How do you already have the jewel?" Inuyasha poked a clawed finger into Kouga's chest. "We know were there jewel is right now and unless you've stolen it, I don't see how you could have it too."

Kouga waved a hand at him. "Relax. Everything will become clear shortly." Kouga turned to the other two wolves. "You two quit slacking and keep an eye on that van."

"Uh... it disappeared," Ginta replied, looking through the binoculars. "I think it headed back to the city."

"Good," Kouga said. He turned to Inuyasha and Kagome with another one of his infamous cocky grins. He handed Kagome a helmet. "Now we can go to the base. Hop on with me, Kagome."

"Feh!" Inuyasha immediately jumped in front of her. "I don't think so."

"Don't worry, Dog Breath." Kouga sighed. "I'm not after your woman anymore. I've got enough pretty ladies in my harem to keep me occupied." Inuyasha eyed him suspiciously as Kagome continued to gape at him. She still couldn't believe she was seeing Kouga, of all people, in her own era.

"Don't listen to him, Kagome. He doesn't have a harem," Hakkaku stated, shaking his head.

"Yeah," said Ginta. "If he even spoke of a harem, Ayame would have his ass in a sling so fast."

"Shut up!" Kouga growled at them, his face turning red. He pouted. "At least I have a woman, even if she is a bit demanding."

Ginta and Hakkaku both bristled, puffing up their chest. Ginta spoke first, "We prefer being single, thank you. Anything's better than that old ball and chain."

"Yeah," Hakkaku replied. "Talk about having your balls on a skewer."

Inuyasha and Kagome stepped back, watching the scene with shameless intrigue. Kouga's youki was starting to stir angrily as his comrades taunted him. He snarled, "Well that's easy for you guys to say when you're so gay for each other." Kouga lifted his nose in the air, and Ginta and Hakkaku sputtered with myriad retorts, trying to adamantly convince their audience of their over-whelming straight-ness.

"Come on, Kagome." Kouga grabbed her hand and led her to the motorcycle. Inuyasha stepped in again, not at all distracted by his bungling lackeys to have Kagome out of his sight.

"I don't think so. She can ride with one of them." Inuyasha peered at Kouga sternly. "I'm coming with you."

Kouga purred sweetly as Inuyasha gripped his arm. "Why Inu-kuro, I didn't know you cared."

"See? He does that to everyone. The situation goes bad for him, and he pulls out the gay-card," Ginta whined, pointing. Everyone was ignoring him though, as Inuyasha and Kouga got locked in a stare-down.

"Argh! Enough! Let's just get going." Inuyasha turned to Kagome. "Just ride with one of them, and then we'll find out what the hell is going on." Kagome nodded, and climbed on the seat behind Hakkaku.

Hakkaku handed her a helmet and tittered happily. "It's been so long since I've seen you, nee-chan. We were so excited when our boss gave us an assignment to meet you!"

"Why do you still call me 'nee-chan' if Kouga has Ayame?" Kagome asked, strapping on the helmet securely. She had no idea how these guys drove on a motorcycle, and she wanted to be extra cautious. At least they wore helmets.

"Well, you haven't seen how Ayame acts since the feudal era, have you?" Ginta answered.

"Yeah," Hakkaku said, his voice strained. "We ... ah, would have still preferred you as our sister, in any case." He chuckled nervously. Kagome could only imagine the worst by the look of their fear.

"Anyway, what you did against Naraku and helping avenge our tribe, that was really something," Ginta said, chiming in again. He revved the engine on his bike and started to ride ahead behind Kouga and Inuyasha, who had already taken off.

"Yeah, and because of that, it makes you our honorary sister," Hakkaku said, winking at her. "Now hold on tight!" And Kagome gripped her arms around the wolf demon's hard chest, and she let out a squeal as the bike took off, speeding quickly to catch up with the other two.

***

When supper was over, Mrs. Higurashi quickly cleaned off the table and made a huge apology to Hojo for hurrying him out of the house. Truthfully, she would have loved for him to stay longer, but after that unsettling phone call, she had too much to do.

More than anything, she did not want to get Hojo involved in her work, for it would probably be too dangerous for him. He was such a sweet boy anyway.

"Thank you so much for dinner, Mrs. Higurashi. The food was beyond delicious." He bowed to her, and she couldn't help the rising blush to her cheeks.

"Oh, dear, you flatter me." She touched him lightly on the arm, and Hojo's lip quivered at the obvious affection. Her voice was low, almost in a whisper when she cooed brightly, "You must come again sometime."

Mrs. Higurashi could see Hojo visibly swallow, and he nodded dumbly to her request. His reaction to her subtle flirtation had greatly pleased her. It only fueled her desires to get the young boy over to her house again, for his reaction toward her advances was beyond anything she expected.

Did it mean he was slightly attracted to her despite her being Kagome's mother? She tried to suppress the wickedly satisfied laughter inside of her, urging to burst into the open. Instead, she smiled sweetly and watched him leave as he made his way down the numerous stairs of the shrine. And when he was out of sight, she gazed to the tree branches and felt an unsettling shiver surge through her body.

In spite of it, she smiled, and a mysterious animation swirled within her dark eyes.

***

"That was close," a hooded figure said to his partner, hovering within the large tree that grew next to the Higurashi shrine. "I thought for sure she saw us."

His partner didn't say anything, but instead, he started chucking small pebbles infused with youki at the house. As expected, the youki-laced pebbles bounced back off the large barrier encompassing the shrine.

"Damn it; the barrier is still strong," he said, ignoring his partner's fear of being discovered by the woman at the shrine. He ran a quick hand through his dark blue hair and cursed their luck.

"Look, we can't do anything until that barrier is down. We don't even know if the jewel is in there," said the other one, his hair a lighter shade of orange in contrast to his partner's, and with a skin tone to match.

"This is bad. We were supposed to pick up the jewel after Oogami took care of the miko and her dog. Ikkaku-san said these new barrier repellent ofudas would take the barrier down without a problem," he said with a growl.

"Well, the barrier is too strong. We're going to have to go back." The other one sighed in exasperation, and then his attention diverted to movement over his partner's shoulder. He pointed. "Who's that?"

"What?" The blue-haired thug followed the direction of his partner's finger to the bottom of the stairs outside the shrine. He relaxed his shoulders. "It's just some human boy."

"But that human boy just came out of the shrine."

His partner looked at him. They both grinned.

As they jumped off the tree, the branches rustled alerting their target below. Quickly, they muffled his scream of surprise.

If they couldn't get the jewel for their boss, at least they could take a hostage.

TBC...


	15. Family Reunion

Kouga's bike began to slow down, and before he could park, Inuyasha had immediately jumped off, walking toward the large door of the warehouse building. He looked around, sniffed, and took in the cool breeze, checking out the surroundings.

Apparently, Kouga and his mysterious Vigilantes keep their super secret base on the outskirts of the city. In the distance, Inuyasha saw the blinking lights of the sky scrapers, standing tall above the lingering smog. On the outside, the Vigilante compound looked like a dump. Inuyasha began to question the validity of this group, wondering if they were just a bunch of thugs that rivaled another group rather than fought for peace and justice.

Inuyasha snorted, yet Kouga ignored him while tapping on the keys of a metal box outside the large door. The last button made a high pitch buzz, and a small light turned orange before a loud clank. The metal door creaked open, and Kouga turned around, ushering them inside as the others caught up.

Inuyasha instinctively turned around to see Kagome getting off Hakkuku's bike, looking at the large compound with wonder.

"Wow," she said. "Just like a movie." Anxiously, she turned to Inuyasha. "Feel that?"

Inuyasha's eyes darted toward the inside of the compound. His brow furrowed. "Yeah, the youki feels a lot clearer now."

Kouga chuckled beside them. "He's expecting your arrival, so we let our guards down."

Inuyasha cracked his knuckles, and he glowered inside. "Well, I want to give whoever this person a taste of something too. I'm tired of all these games. I want some answers, and I want to know whose targeting Kagome and the jewel."

Kouga sighed. "You're still so impatient, Inu-kuro."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "You're the last person I want to hear that from." He took Kagome's hand, and they followed Kouga and his comrades as they flanked him from the sides. "Let's go." He sniffed the stale air coming through the door, and his eyes adjusted to the low level of light inside.

They stepped in, their shoes echoing against the floor. The metal door groaned loudly, finally sealing them inside the facility.

***

Inuyasha and Kagome darted their heads around the long hallway that stretched out before them. They kept up with Kouga's pace while remaining cautious within the unfamiliar facility. As Inuyasha came closer to the heart of the compound, the strong youki felt heavier against his senses. And as they approached the end of the hallway, he noticed a warm yellow light peeking out from under the door. Kouga stopped in front of the door and turned around, grinning at Inuyasha and flashing his fangs.

Then, Inuyasha froze, and the youki suddenly felt extremely familiar.

His eyes narrowed, and he swore, startling Kagome who had become mesmerized by the reflections on Kouga's greasy hair.

"What the fuck!" Inuyasha yelled, and he shot Kouga an accusatory look before pushing past him and barging through the door. Kagome scurried behind him, still alarmed at what Inuyasha's sudden outburst. Her face went white as she saw him jab his finger at the person who had been waiting for them.

"You son of a bitch! What the hell are you doing here, and how come you didn't die a long fucking time ago?" he snapped, and Inuyasha's cool, collected brother smirked at him from behind a large oak desk. Kagome was even more shocked as the cold-hearted Lord of the West smoked a large, putrid cigar.

"Well, it's good to see you too, brother," he said melodiously, the usual air of self-importance still evident in his tone. He put the cigar down nonchalantly and stared at his brother.

Inuyasha was so angry he was shaking. He slammed his hands on the table. "So it was you all along honing in on the jewel through Kagome. I should have known you'd still be alive and kicking!" He seethed, "And what's with that black hair? And what happened to your markings? You don't have to hide with me. I know it's you!"

Sesshoumaru chuckled lightly, and Kouga and his lackeys watched the unfolding scene with goofy grins.

"I guessed you'd act this way, little brother," he said, and then he sighed. He pulled out a dish from his drawer. Kagome gaped at it. She was quite sure he'd bring out something more dangerous.

"Would you like a mint?" he asked, and Inuyasha's jaw dropped to the floor.

"No!" he said, slapping them away. Sesshoumaru and Kagome both looked at the fallen candy on the floor with forlorn faces. "I don't want any mints. I want to know what the fuck is going on here, and why you think you have the jewel when I know damn well where it is!"

Sesshoumaru raised an amused eyebrow and shot Kouga a look. Kouga looked away, mocking innocence and letting out a soft whistle.

"Well, all will be explained when you've settled your temper," Sesshoumaru said, though he said those words while still staring at Kouga, trying to glare the guilt from him. The wolf prince merely coughed awkwardly. When Sesshoumaru wasn't going to get a confession from Kouga, he turned back to his brother (putting Kouga's faux pas on the back burner) and he opened his hand toward one of the chairs on the opposite side from his. "Have a seat."

Inuyasha stood there for a moment, gritting his teeth, clearly at war with himself on whether or not to pounce on his brother for old time's sake. He would certainly alleviate a lot of stress if he could; though, he wondered if his brother had become stronger over the years and would just pound him senseless. His minions seemed to be scared of him just by a glance.

Sesshoumaru cleared his throat, and dutifully, Kagome sat in the seat beside Inuyasha, who let out an unhappy grunt as he plopped down next to her. Kagome put a comforting hand on Inuyasha's but turned her attention to Sesshoumaru. Her face glowed with determination.

"Can we please just get on with this? I'd like to get back to my normal life soon, if we could." Sesshoumaru cracked a sardonic smile as his brother's girl met him firmly. "Who are those guys that Oogami works for, and why do they want the jewel too? More importantly... how do they even know about the Shikon Jewel?"

"As you know Takeda Oogami and his assistant Riho Taguchi have been deceiving you from the start. Of course, Ms. Taguchi did not know about my brother until she showed the pictures to Oogami. He put on a convincing front, and when he found out about my brother appearing in this time, the news had definitely impressed his master."

"He ... knew about me? How do they know that I'm your brother?" Inuyasha looked at his brother suspiciously.

Sesshoumaru's facial expression was rigid yet confident. He answered, "Many high profile demons know who you are, brother. You've been popping in and out of that well for some time now." He shook his head. "I knew about your eventual appearance in this time, and I've tried to keep an eye on you, even when you run around saving little girls from fires and fighting lesser demons at high school functions."

Inuyasha and Kagome both shot uncomfortable looks to one another knowingly, unaware that anyone else knew about those incidents.

Sesshoumaru got up from his chair and began pacing the room. Kagome watched his long black pony tail with interest, wondering about the lengths modern demons had to go through to shield their true appearance from humans.

"Of course, when you first came to this time more than a few years ago, you had no way of knowing that demons existed in the future. It's understandable. Humans have such advanced technology that we've had to keep a low profile." He placed his hands on his desk and met Inuyasha's eyes. "Also, for as advanced as the humans get, we usually keep ten steps ahead of them. Throughout the ages of the world, demons had united and taken advantage of the steps humans have made. We've ... adapted quite well to their evolution, and became advanced ourselves."

"So if you're so advanced, why do demons still want the Shikon Jewel?" Kagome asked.

Sesshoumaru sighed. "Unfortunately, there is still no technology that exists that can grant humans and demons anything they desire. The moment the Shikon Jewel became whole and reappeared in this time, some demons have started to mobilize."

"Mobilize? Wait, how come they waited this long to come for us? Kagome and I both had the Shikon fragments in this time for years," Inuyasha countered.

Sesshoumaru smiled slightly. "Even though they knew about the fragments, they knew that the jewel was not as powerful until it was whole." Sesshoumaru paused and watched their faces as the information came together.

"If they knew that the pieces were stronger together... then that means..." Kagome swallowed an uncomfortable lump in her throat. "Someone knew the history of the Shikon Jewel. He or she must have known that Naraku had the rest of the pieces and that it'd eventually be complete." Her voice dropped to almost a whisper from shock. "They were waiting all this time."

Kagome turned to Inuyasha with a frown. "This whole time since the Centipede monster activated the jewel to the time the full Shikon jewel became dormant, they knew about it already." She turned to Sesshoumaru and gripped the edge of his desk. "This means they knew it'd been at my shrine the entire time."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Well, you are mostly right, Kagome. They had some difficulty pinpointing exact locations and sometimes their surveillance would pick up on decoys and other deceptions."

Now Kagome and Inuyasha were even more confused.

"Oh, stop it Seiji-kun; you'll ruin my entrance," a voice said, coming from the shadows behind Sesshoumaru. They heard a door open, and someone came through into the light. Kagome's jaw dropped to the floor this time.

"Mom!" she squealed. Even Inuyasha was speechless.

"'Sup, Mrs. H!" Ginta called out. Kagome's eyes bugged as her mother giggled.

"Ginta, you haven't been over to help me prepare sashimi in a long time," her mother said, distracted from her daughter's shock to chit chat with one of Kouga's two goons. Ginta scratched the back of his neck guiltily.

"Aww... I'm sorry. I haven't had any time off since being assigned to watch these two," he said, jabbing his thumb to Kagome and Inuyasha.

"I understand," Mom said, crossing her arms. "I appreciate you looking after them." And then, Ginta blushed. Kagome thought she was going to have a stroke.

"Mom! What are doing here?" Kagome squeaked.

Kagome's mother giggled, covering her hand over her mouth. "What do you mean, dear? I work here with Seiji-kun, or as you know him, Sesshoumaru."

"Ah!" Inuyasha shouted, grasping his head. "This is crazy! It's a nightmare. How can Kagome's quiet and kind mother be working for Sesshoumaru?" He looked over at them frantically, blinking with disbelief. He then pinched himself, thinking he could wake up from this convoluted dream.

Kagome's mother wagged a finger at him. "Ah, Ah, I'm not as kind and quiet as you think I am." Sesshoumaru snorted next to her. "And, who says I work for him? We work together. We're partners." She patted Sesshoumaru's arm and smiled sweetly, and Kagome fell back in her chair sighing with exasperation.

"Someone shoot me!" Kagome yowled, which earned a laugh out of Kouga.

"Now, now, it's not that bad, Kagome," her mother said, taking a comfortable seat in Sesshoumaru's chair. He stood behind her, leaning against the back of it. Kagome and Inuyasha both gaped at them, awed that they were so comfortable with each other.

"Aki-san is correct. We work together as equals, even though it is hard for you to believe that I'd work with a human," Sesshoumaru confirmed. And Kagome and Inuyasha nodded in agreement dumbly.

"Certainly, hundreds of years have changed a person; isn't that right, Seiji-kun?" Aki Higurashi asked.

"Indeed. It did take some time for me to get used to the booming population of humans, but I did adapt, especially when I couldn't escape them even if I tried."

"Aw, it's not so bad. What would your first wife Rin say to that if she were here today?" Aki teased him, and he shot her an unpleasant look that didn't seem to faze her. She chuckled.

"Okay, pleasantries aside," Kagome said, interrupting the weird chemistry between them. "Who is after us? And tell me again how you guys got the jewel?" Kagome turned to her mother. "Grandpa was supposed to be guarding it."

Mrs. Higurashi chuckled. "I know you mean well, Kagome, but your grandfather is hardly the person in which to entrust the Shikon Jewel."

Kagome frowned. "Yeah, that would seem so now, but when it was dormant we didn't think it could hurt."

Aki smiled, and she put her hand into her coat pocket, bringing out a cloth encasing the jewel. "Don't worry. The jewel is here, and it's safe."

Kagome and Inuyasha saw it and felt a wave of relief. They sighed together.

"So let me guess, you had spiritual powers this entire time, and you've been keeping them from your own daughter," Inuyasha accused. Kagome turned to her mother with shock, awaiting her answer.

"You are correct." She met Kagome's eyes. "I was going to tell you at the right time." She smiled cryptically yet sweetly. "Now is the right time. You didn't think you were the only one in the family with powers, did you?"

Kagome's jaw dropped again. "No way! So you've been protecting us and setting up those deceptions Sesshoumaru was talking about? And you did it around the shrine?"

Aki nodded, smiling blissfully. "It was so much fun!"

"Ugh," Kagome groaned, rubbing her temple and hoping to relieve the stress.

"Alright, alright," Inuyasha said impatiently. "What I don't understand is who we're up against. It's obvious you guys are fighting against someone who wants the Shikon Jewel." He gave Kagome's mother and his brother a serious stare. "Who is this guy, and why haven't you taken him down yet with all your fancy youkai technology?"

"You would think it should be simple for us in this era. However, our technology may rival theirs to some degree, but it doesn't solve the problem that the main enemy is eluding us." Inuyasha caught a look for frustration on his brother's face, and he wondered just how long they'd been fighting this enemy and how many times they'd failed.

"There's another problem with this enemy too. Not only are his powers of stealth incredible, but we've been waiting to confirm something before we initialize the final attack," Kagome's mother added. Kagome continued to regard her mother with awe. She still couldn't believe her mother was involved with such people.

"Confirm what?" Inuyasha snarled. "If you know where he is, why don't you attack?"

"We don't always know where he is. We have leads, and he escapes." Sesshoumaru's voice was tense, almost reminiscent of his Feudal era days. "Also, we did not anticipate that he was the type of demon that regenerates."

"This is what we needed to confirm, actually." Mrs. Higurashi sighed, but she feigned a smile. "You two have experience with this demon, or hanyou, if you want to be specific."

"You're losing to a hanyou?" Inuyasha scoffed.

"Naraku was a hanyou," Sesshoumaru said bluntly. "And this hanyou is his reincarnate."

A low buzz filled their ears as the room became absent of sound. Suddenly, Inuyasha jumped from his chair.

"What? How is this possible? Naraku's been reincarnated in Kagome's time? But we destroyed him!" Inuyasha snapped.

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Apparently. Kikyou was also destroyed, if you will, but if Kagome can be reincarnated from Kikyou, then isn't it likely that Naraku can be reincarnated too?"

Inuyasha's mouth was open, but he was speechless. Sure, he had come with Kouga looking for answers, but he was not prepared to be bombarded all at once. Some of the things they were telling him - Kagome's mother had spiritual powers and worked with Sesshoumaru, who founded this Vigilantes group, and the most disturbing news of it all was that Naraku's reincarnation was targeting Kagome for the Shikon Jewel.

And there was a time after the Jewel was completed that he was finally looking forward to peace.

Inuyasha hated being wrong about that.

Inuyasha settled back into his chair. Kagome gave him a woeful look and slumped into her seat. She stared at her mother and Sesshoumaru, who were both watching their reactions with amusement.

"Is there anything else you should tell us?" Kagome turned to Sesshoumaru. "You're not really my father or something and Inuyasha's my uncle? Because that would be really bad." She already felt sick to her stomach.

Mrs. Higurashi giggled. "Don't worry, dear. If that were true, I'd never have let you guys get so close."

Inuyasha and Kagome both blushed, and Sesshoumaru frowned. He turned to Aki. "You should at least tell them we were involved at one time."

Kagome and Inuyasha's faces both went white simultaneously.

"But don't worry, kids. That was a one time thing. I'm not much into demons anymore," her mother said cheerfully.

"Humph," Sesshoumaru scoffed and shot her a smirk. "I'm a little too old for you anyway, Aki-san."

"Indeed," she said, mimicking his tone and then giggling. Kagome groaned again.

"Why don't I show you kids to your rooms so you can get settled in to bed for the night? You can mull things over while you sleep, and we can talk more in the morning," Aki suggested, quickly changing the subject.

"That sounds like a fabulous idea," Kagome said sarcastically, throwing up her hands. Anxiously, she got out of her chair and sauntered to the door as Inuyasha followed behind her. He stopped and turned around to glare at his brother, who only met him with wicked satisfaction. Inuyasha grunted, following Kagome and Aki down the hall.

***

"This is just insane," Kagome said as Inuyasha snuggled beside her. She was mildly shocked her mother would let Inuyasha stay in the same bed with her, but her mother had surprised her with much crazier things earlier. She tried not to think about it, letting the information they learned settle into her mind.

"Humph. Maybe we'll wake up and all of this will be one big fucking nightmare," Inuyasha snorted. "I can't believe that bastard has lived over hundreds of years and still comes off as a dick."

"I can't believe he had a fling with my mother," Kagome said, clutching her pillow tightly.

"Try not to think about that, Kagome," Inuyasha told her. "There's probably a lot of stuff they're not telling us, but it's good enough they told us the important things." He moved closer to her on the bed and wrapped his arms around her. Kagome fell back against him as he spooned her, and she let out a contented sigh.

"Inuyasha, do you think we'll ever get some peace away from the Shikon Jewel?" Kagome asked, trying to distract herself from thoughts of her mother with Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha holding her close to his warm body. She felt her cheeks go hot.

He shrugged against her. "I suppose when we finally make a pure wish, that's when we'll be free from it." Inuyasha made a low grunt in his throat. "We should have done that after the battle - in my time."

"What would you have wished for?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha nuzzled against her hair, and her knees began to shake.

"Nothin'," he answered, inhaling her scent. "I would have given the wish to you."

Kagome turned around to face him and he hugger her tighter. Her nose rubbed against his.

"I... I wanted to make a wish back then, but I didn't want to be selfish," Kagome confessed. Suddenly, she felt very anxious as Inuyasha awaited her words. The air in the room felt very weighted, and silence wedged between them momentarily.

Then, his voice came out in a whisper. "Well, what were you going to wish for?"

"For you to have one thing that makes you happy forever," Kagome blurted. She saw Inuyasha's eyes widen as her vision adjusted to the dark.

"Oh," he said simply. Kagome felt her cheeks go hot again, and Inuyasha chuckled. He kissed her forehead and rubbed his fingers in circles on her back. "That would have been a wasted wish, Kagome." His voice was low and seductive.

"Oh yeah?" she sputtered out, tracing a finger lightly down his jaw. Their eyes met, and she was trapped but she didn't want to ever break free.

"Yeah, because I already have what I want to make me happy," he said. His voice rang with amusement, and he inhaled a draught of breath.

He leaned in and took her mouth into his. She responded lightly and then turned fervent. He grabbed her jaw and drew her close, snaking his tongue farther into her mouth. She moaned at his touch, delighting in his taste and smell. He drew out, nibbling on her lip and then trailing kisses down her neck. His fingers tugged at her shirt, snaking a hand inside and lightly cupping her soft breasts.

"Inuyasha..." she moaned, moving against him and indulging in the rising heat between them.

When he felt her rub against the hardness in his pants, he froze and pulled away lightly. He watched her eyes open slowly, and she looked at him, flustered and dazed. He knew she wanted him, but he remembered their recent talk on how she wasn't ready. He wanted to honor that.

"Kagome, let me just hold you tonight." She nodded as she rested her head against him. "I promise we'll get through this and beat this new enemy and then..."

"Yeah, you're right," she said, pulling his body snugly against hers.

Inuyasha sighed, trying hard to subdue his primal desires. He closed his eyes, honoring her wishes and holding her through the night.

He then whispered to her, "Then we can finally make our wish."

Her soft breathing cocooned him in tranquility, and then he finally fell asleep.

To Be Continued...


	16. Justice League

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING for adult situations in this chapter. The chapter is rated M. Thank you to Isis Kitty for the beta job.

The Vigilante compound hummed deathly silent except for the clicks of heels on the concrete floor. A large metal door creaked closed, and the large compound resumed its steely slumber, its occupants away safely in their beds.

"We have confirmation," she said behind him just above a whisper. She handed him a piece of paper, and quickly he read it intently, memorizing the data of their enemy's whereabouts.

Sesshoumaru frowned. "A trap," he mused lightly, and Mrs. Aki Higurashi nodded affirmatively behind him. She smiled despite the news.

"It appears Hamakoji Naru-san is expecting us. He acts as though he's ready to see us now," she added.

Sesshoumaru turned around and stood up from his chair. He looked down at Aki and nodded.

"There has to be something else going on to make him this confident… some kind of collateral." Sesshoumaru turned and rubbed his chin. Aki held her hands in front of her calmly, watching his expression.

"There most certainly is. Of what, we can't be too sure." She paused, and the silence in the room felt tense, and he could feel the itch in his bones, ready for the upcoming fight.

He flashed his golden eyes at her, and his human mask fell for a second, his youki bursting through and rising to an anxious peak. "We get them ready. We're going in. Tell Kouga to come up with a plan to get into their facility."

"And Inuyasha and my daughter? What do we do with them?" she asked.

Sesshoumaru turned to the window, looking out at the dark Tokyo skies bathed in silver blue moonlight. His lips turned into a smirk. "My brother goes with Kouga. As for your daughter, you have to find a way to help her skills." He turned to her and Aki was still smiling. "Do something to strengthen her when it comes time to face him. I don't want any room for weakness."

Aki nodded as her smile grew. "I have just the thing to help tap into Kagome's potent powers."

Sesshoumaru turned to the window again. "Good. I will stay here."

Aki cocked her head at him. She purred a little too reminiscent for his comfort. "Sitting this fight out, Seiji-kun?"

He huffed indifferently. His voice was as cold as steel, mocking. "You know me better than that, Aki-san. I'm always one for a last minute entrance."

Aki chuckled, turning to the door. She rested her hand on the knob and said before leaving, "Always the dues ex machina, eh, Seiji-kun?"

He snorted. "You try my patience sometimes, woman. If I was four centuries younger, I would …"

Aki chuckled again, interrupting him. "As if I haven't heard that line before." Sesshoumaru was about to retort, but Kagome's mother had already shut the door behind her.

He pursed his lips in annoyance. He hated when his partner always got in the last word.

***

When his eyes opened, Inuyasha's sight adjusted to the darkened room, lit only by the digital numbers of the alarm clock on the nightstand. He yawned quietly and tried not to disturb the warm sleeping form next to him.

As soon as he stirred, Kagome began to wake as well, and she rolled out of his embrace onto her back.

A loud yawn escaped from her lips, and Inuyasha felt her soft hand on his face in the darkness.

"Good morning," she croaked out, and Inuyasha grinned in response. He had never had a better sleep than last night, even with the danger looming over their heads.

He sighed with content, looking down at her face, slightly illuminated in the soft red light. "Morning."

Kagome snickered unexpectedly. "I can't believe what happened yesterday."

"Yeah, I know," Inuyasha groaned. "Of all the people I'd meet in your time, I find out my asshole brother is alive and well."

"No, I don't mean just that." She paused. "I can't believe my own mother approved of us sharing a bed last night."

Her voice soothed his ears, and he felt a trickle of excitement ignite him as she shifted against his body on the bed. "Kagome…" he said, running his fingers through her hair. She sighed lightly, and he felt her hands cup his jaw and bring his face to hers. He moaned in surprise as her mouth made contact with his within the darkness. Eagerly, he drew her body against his in an embrace, and he returned her kisses ravenously. Kagome, once known to be a shy girl, began rubbing her hands over him, touching him and driving him crazy in ways he didn't think she could possibly know.

Her scent overwhelmed him, and the little noises she was making was driving him to the edge as he kissed her and dove his hands under her shirt against her naked belly.

She moaned and broke from his kiss, and he felt her pull the tendrils of his hair with urgency. "Please…" she cried, and his fingers tugged at the waistband of her pants. Excitement burgeoned between his legs as she spoke the words he long to hear. "Please, now, Inuyasha."

"Are you sure?" Idiot. He felt so stupid for asking, but he was not going to take advantage of her. That was not his way. If there was any doubt in her eyes, he would stop, as much as it pained him to admit that.

"Yes," she hissed, rubbing against him and wrapping her legs around his. "I can't take it anymore. We've been waiting for too long. Stupid Naraku and the stupid jewel. What if I die without ever…?"

He silenced her worries with another hard kiss. She melted against him, and he felt her soft hand rest over his to direct him below and remove her pants.

"Gods, Kagome," he whined, unable to control his desires much longer.

He fumbled awkwardly with her modern clothes and cursed when things were unfastening too slowly. He moved and slipped her pants over her hips. He inhaled a heavy drought of air and bent below, resting his nose on the coarse curls between her legs.

The core of her scent was here, and it was the most amazing thing he'd ever smelled. He wanted to drown in her and never come to the surface. With a quick lick from her hair to her moisture below, she squirmed against him and begged some more.

His ears burned from her sounds, and he felt himself go hard as he continued to lap at her, and she continued to let him.

"Yes…" she hissed, as he dipped his tongue past her nether lips and then inside her. She shuddered around his head as he continued to taste her, and her obvious delight in his venture spurred him on, taking as much of her as she would allow.

Sweet honey and silk, that was what she reminded him of, and he became addicted, and he wished he could live on the rest of his days just to hear those sounds and take up her taste until the day he died.

She screamed out and then went limp around him. He heard her struggle for air as she caught her breath, and her legs wobbled languidly around his head. He took up the remnants of her sex, and he gritted his teeth when his body ached for more. He shifted himself, and he sat up between Kagome's legs, looking down at her expectantly and taking in her beautiful flushed face.

"Kagome…"

"More…" she said, and he didn't even have to ask, which was good, since he didn't know how to ask her anyway.

She met his gaze and looked up at him with a smile. "That was amazing, but…" Her voice trailed off, and her face went flush as if she were embarrassed. "For some reason I need more. I…"

"I can't turn back now, Kagome," he said gruffly, slowly pulling his pants over his hips. "You are sure?"

Her eyes glittered with affirmation. "Yes, _please_."

It all went so fast. He tried to be as gentle as he could, but he still met her with pain, despite the pleasure she was feeling. For a moment, he shifted her, letting her ride on top of him to give her some control.

She winced from the sting often, and he smelled blood and couldn't hold back his guilt. He took her innocence as he always wanted to, to make her his, but he wasn't so naïve to know that she wouldn't be in pain.

She squirmed on top of him, biting her lip and moving her hips slowly over him, taking him in within the raw pinch of her tightness. He sat up and drew her against him soothingly as she cried and bucked against him.

"Kagome, take it slow…Shhh," he said, wiping away the tears down her cheeks.

"It's okay… I'm enjoying this. I want this," she said through sporadic gasps.

"It'll get better. I hear it gets better," he soothed.

She froze, and he felt her tighten around him. He gasped and felt her muscles tense and then finally relax. Gently, he moved her as they lay next to each other on their sides. Kagome's expression was starting to relax, and he could see her legs shiver from the dulling pain. He took her hand and directed her to his still prevalent arousal.

His voice fell off his tongue soft and sensually. He whispered, "Go ahead and finish me." Her eyes widened, and he gave her an endearing smirk. "Just slide your hand up and down." He showed her the motion, and then let go as her own hand became just enough. He leaned in and rested his head against her shoulder. He moaned as she stroked harder and faster. "Yes…"

He felt a small kiss to his head, and then his mind fell into a daze. Her hands felt wonderful, as if they were shaped and molded just to fit around him so perfectly. He growled, feeling tightness stir within him as he came close.

He exhaled heavily against her skin, and he heard her yelp as something wet spurted between them. Inuyasha slumped against her, recovering his breath. Suddenly, he snickered.

"I hope to the Gods this is Kouga's bed," he joked, and Kagome couldn't help but laugh in return.

"You jerk, you meant to do that," she teased.

"Where was I supposed to do it? I can't do it inside you… that would be," he said and then trailed off. "It would be amazing, but we're not ready for that yet."

"Are you talking about...?" Her eyes widened again.

"Yeah, you're so damn fertile right now it's driving me crazy," he said, making a light sniff.

"Oh, ew, you actually can smell that?" she said, horrified.

"It's not like I want to!" he snarled, a bit more defensive than he wanted to. "I've learned over the months to ignore it, but lately…as we've gotten closer -"

"Okay! I get it," she interrupted, still a bit uneasy. Then, her voice became softer. "I'm glad you're being so considerate, Inuyasha."

He snorted. "How else would I be? I said I'd take care of you and protect you."

Kagome giggled and snuggled against him. She sighed, "I don't want to get up. I just know they have something for us to do."

Inuyasha hugged her tighter and made a low growl in his throat. "Yes, but we have to beat this reincarnation of Naraku's if we're ever going to get any peace and quiet in this world."

"Yeah…" Kagome said mournfully.

Suddenly, a loud knocking made them jump with a start in the bed. "Kagome and Inuyasha, are you two kids about awake?"

Kagome gasped. She whispered, "Oh no! It's my mom."

Inuyasha shushed her. "We're almost ready. We just woke up."

"Okay, dear. Now try to get dressed and ready in twenty minutes. Seiji-kun wants to see you two in his office. We have some things for you to do."

"Okay, mom!" Kagome said, but Inuyasha could feel her shaking with anxiety next to him. She was having the same fear he was having – being caught in the afterglow when it was obvious what they had just done.

Inuyasha didn't know what the woman expected if she let them share the same bed, after all, and he had that excuse ready to use in their defense.

He could still sense Mrs. Higurashi behind the door, and as Kagome cautiously moved out of the bed, he cocked his ear to listen until Aki departed.

"And don't worry about the room, Kagome. We'll have someone clean up once you leave," her mother added. Inuyasha heard Kagome yelp, and then her mother was gone.

Kagome switched the light on and looked at Inuyasha with an aghast expression. "Do you think she knows?"

Inuyasha harrumphed. "Knowing what I know about your mother now, I'd say it's a pretty good bet." Then, Inuyasha grinned cockily at her. "Then again, maybe she knows because she heard you."

Kagome looked at him scandalized, and her face became an adorable shade of red. She clutched her clothes to her chest and muttered "unbelievable" under her breath. Inuyasha delighted in her reaction, yet his brother's summoning soon indicated the fun was about to end.

And if Inuyasha's instincts were right, what Sesshoumaru had in store for them was definitely big.

***

When Inuyasha and Kagome walked into Sesshoumaru's office, it felt as though it was a repeat of last night's impressions. However, this time Sesshoumaru kept his masking spells off and appeared as he always had only with much more modern attire.

"Finally you are here," Sesshoumaru droned, turning from them and then taking a file one of his lackeys presented. "I trust you both had a good night sleep since it's 9 o'clock." Inuyasha grimaced as his anger rose, and Kagome lightly tapped his hand reassuringly. Sesshoumaru continued and drew his attention away from his papers. "We have uncovered the location of the enemy's lair. However, it appears he is now baiting us. For someone who was more elusive before, he has suddenly leaked his whereabouts in a lazy manner."

"Meaning… he's setting a trap?" Inuyasha deciphered. Sesshoumaru nodded, and Aki began to speak as she stood to his right. Inuyasha still thought that seeing Kagome's mother as Sesshoumaru's partner was a weird sight.

"His name is Hamakoji Naru, and he's a business owner of several oil refineries along the coastline in the Chiba prefecture of Tokyo Bay. Kouga will give you the details when he gathers up his men for the mission."

"Wait, you're teaming me up with that mangy wolf and his cronies?" Inuyasha complained. He puffed out his chest and saw his brother sigh. "I ain't fighting with him. I'll go alone and mess that guy up. I don't need Kouga."

"As powerful as you think you are, little brother," Sesshoumaru replied sarcastically, "Kouga is far more knowledgeable in modern day youkai weapons and espionage. Your 'Break down the doors and bust up heads' mindset for solving situations is not what we need right now."

"But, you said it was a trap," Inuyasha countered. "He already knows we're coming."

"You have to use finesse, Inu-kuro," Kouga said, as he and the other two wolves came in through the door. The wolf demon grinned cockily at him. "Sesshoumaru-sama is right. You need us, and if anything, you're going to be the weakest link on this mission."

"Indeed," Sesshoumaru said. He rose from his desk and gave Kouga his files. "Take my brother to the briefing room and get him suited up for the mission."

Inuyasha was too shocked by those last words to react to Kouga's taunting. "Suited up?"

Kouga clamped a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder, drawing him near the door. "That's right, mutt-face. Welcome to your new job."

"Ha! Tonight we're going to be ninjas!" Ginta proclaimed, giving a high-five to Hakkaku.

Inuyasha grimaced. "Another weird job."

Kagome jabbed in him the ribs next to him, obviously excited. "Hey, it's just like that super hero thing I told you about."

Hakkaku beamed at Kagome happily. "That's right, nee-chan! Just like the X-men!"

"Only the only mutants here are you two sorry asses, and I mean mutant in a 'you're freaks' way," Kouga snorted, and the comment seemed to incite arguments from the offended wolves.

"Silence!" Sesshoumaru said coolly, and the room automatically chilled without a sound. He got up from his desk and was about to chastise them and get in a final word, but he was distracted as his phone rang. Before he could answer, Kagome's mother stepped in and spoke for him.

"Yes?" Kagome watched her mother as her calm disposition suddenly transformed. The smile on her face faded, and she looked disturbed from the news on the other line. "Oh no, not my father." Kagome looked at her mother with shock.

Before her mother could hang up the phone, Kagome spoke with haste. "What's going on, Mom? Has something happened to Grandpa?" She felt a pang of fear rise in her stomach.

"Seiji-kun, we have to act fast," she said, rather calmly for someone who was obviously upset. "We know now why the enemy is so confident. They've taken hostages."

Sesshoumaru frowned. "I do not understand. Your barrier has prevented that before."

"I'm not sure, but they have Kagome's schoolmate Houjo as well."

"Houjo! How the heck would they even know about him?" Kagome asked.

Her mother sighed heavily. "Oh dear, it's all my fault. Houjo was coming over to see me."

Kagome's face paled, and she heard the wolves whistle behind her. "Go Mrs. H, robbing that cradle again!"

"Stop it, you simpletons," Sesshoumaru chided. "This changes things slightly. Now that there are civilians, we can't be so destructive with our opposition. Kouga, make sure to revise the mission plan to include a rescue mission. Take more men if you can."

"I'll do it," Inuyasha said, stepping up. "You already said I don't know about your weapons and other stuff. I'll save the old guy and the kid." He turned to Kouga who understood. "Just tell me what to do."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Agreed. My brother will rescue the hostages." Sesshoumaru glanced to his partner. "The rest of us will attack. Aki-san, get your daughter ready."

Kagome looked at her mother dumbfounded as she nodded to Sesshoumaru's orders.

Before he left, Inuyasha turned to Kagome and squeezed her hand. She looked at him with worry. "Be careful," she said.

"Don't worry about me," he said. "I'll make sure the old guy is safe."

Kagome's mother put her hand on her shoulder and indicated their turn to go. "Kagome, let's begin."

Inuyasha pulled apart from Kagome's hand, and Kagome suddenly felt the chill of its absence. "Right," she said and followed her mother. She prayed that what Sesshoumaru and Kouga had planned would work, and that everyone would get out okay.

She had no idea what to expect from this new enemy who was Naraku's reincarnation, but she could only imagine from his previous incarnation that things wouldn't be easy.

***

Kagome's mother led her down the dark, sterile corridor of the Vigilante compound in an area she hadn't been exposed to yet.

"I have to apologize to you, Kagome," her mother said as they kept walking. "I always wanted to tell you about my spiritual powers, but I didn't want to reveal too much."

"So, Sesshoumaru must have contacted you and told you that I'd leave through the well someday," Kagome mused.

"It was hard for me to understand, but when you father died, Seiji-kun stepped in and took care of us. Of course, not from a fatherly sense." She paused and turned to face her daughter. "He wanted to preserve our family, making sure fate ran its course. He already knew about Naraku's reincarnation, so it was imperative he take care of us."

"But what does this have to do about your powers?" Kagome asked, not seeing the connection.

"He sensed them in me, especially strong after my pregnancy with you. I had some idea it was my daughter who amplified them," she said with a soft smile. "So, whenever I had the time, I trained with him."

"Ugh, so that's when you guys started to get... intimate." Kagome made a face, and her mother chuckled.

"You could say that. So you have nothing to worry about. I didn't know him before I knew your father." She grinned with a toothy smile. Kagome grimaced.

"That would have been so weird if you guys... never mind! It's freaky enough," Kagome groaned. They continued walking and suddenly stopped at a door.

"This is it," her mother said. "Behind this door is my biggest secret, Kagome."

Kagome gazed at the door and wondered what was inside. "Okay then, I'm ready."

The large metal door made thunderous croak, and pressured air fluttered past them as Kagome peered curiously inside. Her jaw dropped as she looked around the room.

"No way..."

Her mother chuckled. "It's not just the boys who have fun with modern magic."

Kagome stepped in and studied every centimeter. Spears, custom arrows, and scepters lined the walls. In the center was a shrine with a large altar for meditation. Several varieties of bows hung on the adjacent side. Behind her against the door, loose and very aerodynamic looking garments hung in a closet, which indicated to her that such outfits were the modern attire for battle priestesses. Kagome remembered the statue of the warrior miko Midoriko and noticed the influence in the torso flaps and armor.

"Wow, no wonder you were okay with me going into the feudal era the first time."

Kagome's mother smiled and turned to the closet. She picked out a sleek rouge rayon hakama and form-fitting black kimono. "Shall we begin a quick exercise in training?"

Kagome's gaze fell to the clothes and then to her mother's excited face. "You're going to train me right now? But don't they need us to help right away?"

Aki stepped forward and put the clothes in Kagome's hands. "Don't worry, dear, it will be a quick lesson." Kagome caught her wry smile. "But don't think I'll be easy on you."

Kagome bit her lip nervously. She could only imagine.

TBC...


	17. Game Plan

"It itches!" Inuyasha complained, as he scratched at the stretchy black suit.

"Shut up, Inu-Kuro," Kouga said in a sharp whisper and scowled at him. "Your big mouth is going to ruin the whole mission."

"So what's the mission, wolf crap? I already know I'm going in by myself, so where are the rest of you going?" Inuyasha asked, ignoring Kouga's jab.

"Well, because you're such a newbie at this, we'll have you go in first and baby-sit your ass from the shadows. Now, hold out your arm." Inuyasha prepared to snarl at him for the 'baby-sit' remark but held out his arm anyway.

Kouga lifted up the black spandex on Inuyasha's suit sleeve and placed cool metal to his skin, and before Inuyasha could look, he felt a sharp pain in his forearm. "What the fuck?" he said after a surprised scream.

Kouga shot him a sly grin. "Sorry, dog turd, I had to put a tracker on you."

Inuyasha glared at the metal gun in Kouga's hand. It had a suspicious needle on the end, and he couldn't believe he didn't see that before Kouga had struck him. "What the fuck is that? It stings like hell!"

"Aww, poor puppy. Look, you're new to this modern day youkai espionage, so Sesshoumaru wanted a tracker on you. Ginta and Hakkaku can't stay on your tail forever, so if we lose sight of you within that compound, this way we can find you again. We have no idea what tricks this Naru jerk has in store for us. For all we know, he's a rat bastard just like his previous incarnation," Kouga explained. Inuyasha pouted as he rubbed his arm. Kouga seemed to find satisfaction in Inuyasha's pain.

"You'll survive. It hurts more than a human needle because some of them don't penetrate our skin. Besides, these ones are more effective," Kouga said.

"Fine. Now explain to me the mission already. I'm sick of waiting around. I wanna go in and rescue the kid and the old man so Kagome and I can be done with this mess," Inuyasha said impatiently.

"You really think it's going to be that simple?" A female voice rang out behind them. Inuyasha and the wolves turned around. Kouga's face lit up.

"Ayame! What are you doing here?" Kouga asked cheerfully, happy to see his mate.

"Sesshoumaru-san said I should come on the mission with you. I'm going with you guys and then veering off to shadow Kagome-san and Aki-san," she replied. She smiled at Inuyasha as he looked her over. She definitely appeared different than her Feudal Era days. Her bright red hair was pulled back in a long thick ponytail, and she had abandoned the white furs for a more contemporary silver skin-tight suit. Her green eyes flashed at him and she cocked her head, and Inuyasha quickly looked away when she caught him staring at her.

"Anyway, he told me to give you these," Ayame said, stepping forward toward Kouga and handing him a manila folder. "They're the blueprints for the refinery. Well, as much as our tech team could recover from the hack."

Kouga pulled them out and studied them for a long moment. Inuyasha could hardly hold back his awe that Kouga was so much more methodical than his oblivious, stubborn Feudal Era self.

"Alright, looks like there's a lot of gray area. There are blocked off sections that could possibly be anything, whether Naru is squatting there or he's keeping the hostages. For all we know he could be holding weapons and bodies in there," Kouga surmised. "But the areas that are more defined are probably not as interesting."

"What if in this trap he's laying out for us, one of those defined areas really is special?" Ginta chimed in.

"We're gonna have to bring in a team of moles," Ayame suggested. "We can't be too distracted if the four of us are looking for hostages and backing up the miko."

"Wait a minute here; what do you mean by moles?" Inuyasha asked.

"Mole Youkai. They have a special ability where they can blend into the shadows without being seen. They can only do that for about a half a minute though. It's a defense mechanism that uses a mirage ability to ward off predators. We have technology that enhances that ability for a little bit longer," Kouga said.

"The only problem with the moles is that they're incredibly dumb and not very good fighters," Hakkaku added.

"We don't like to use them because if they get caught by any strong youkai enemy with average fighting skills, it becomes a suicide mission," Ginta said mournfully.

Kouga and Ayame nodded and met Inuyasha's surprised face. "We need them though. This is a big mission. This Naru chump wants the Shikon Jewel, and he's been sniffing around Kagome and Inu-Kuro here long enough. He's now laid a trap and is making a move," Kouga said.

Ayame sighed. "We've been after him even before Kagome went down into the well. Now that they are back with the completed Jewel, it's no wonder what he'll do to obtain it."

Inuyasha tried to understand their concern. He had no idea what these mole youkai were like, but they were trying hard not to use them. He did, at least, have some sympathy for them.

"Alright, we activate four mole squads. Have the squads flank one side of the compound each. Slowly, they should trickle inside and stay out of harm's way. Attach them with those new high quality camera visors the tech team just designed, and tell them to take as much intel of the inside as they can. The visors should forward the new maps back to us instantaneously. Ginta, Ayame, Hakkaku, and I will be wearing the cartographer arm bands and will move along while receiving data," Kouga ordered. Everyone nodded when they knew their duties.

"And what about me?" Inuyasha asked while feeling left out. Kouga clamped a hand roughly over Inuyasha's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Inu-Kuro, you wanted to just rush in and bust them up, didn't you? Well, that's what you're going to do."

Inuyasha's jaw dropped when he realized what the wolf demon meant.

***

"My brother is an asshole. I can't believe this is what he wants me to do," Inuyasha grunted under his breath as he and the four wolves flanked the top of the neighboring compound of Naru's facility. Ayame turned back and shushed him with a hiss and a glare.

Kouga chuckled softly. "Don't worry. I think you'll fit well in the role of bait, dog breath."

Inuyasha let out a low growl behind him.

"It's a pretty easy job considering the back up you'll get. So stop complaining," Ayame chided him. Inuyasha shut up after that; for some reason, he couldn't muster the gusto to challenge Ayame.

She had Kouga wrapped around her finger, so that was saying something.

He harrumphed, and the two wolves behind him started bickering about something off topic. Ayame turned back with a glare, but they didn't catch it.

"All I'm saying is that I miss using a sword once in awhile," Ginta said in a harsh whisper.

"Sword! Why would you want a sword when you can have a Blue Spirit Blaster XT 8000? It's state of the art youkai weaponry, designed by the northern white bat demon tribe in Africa. They make some seriously bad-ass shit over there," Hakkaku defended.

"You two be quiet back there!" Ayame snarled just above a whisper. The wolf goons froze immediately from the reprimand. Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"Not that argument again." Kouga shook his head. Ayame glared at Kouga too. Apparently none of them were getting the whole 'stealth' part of their mission.

"What the hell is that all about anyway?" Inuyasha whispered; his curiosity piqued from the general unease.

"You'll have to excuse them," Ayame said with a hard breath. "They've been arguing like that since the Meiji Era. It's been tough since the Feudal Era. Things have changed so much."

"Is that why everyone's acting so out of character?" Inuyasha said.

Kouga blew out an exasperated breath. "You would too if you were told you couldn't carry around a sword anymore. Stupid humans and their laws."

"Ha! Not that we listen anyway!" Ginta said, and Hakkaku rewarded him with a light high-five.

Ayame's head snapped around with a murderous glare. "Seriously, don't make me come back there and strip you of your manhood, you bozos. Now quiet!"

Everyone froze with fear as Ayame glared pointedly at each of them and then turned back to surveying the compound. A circle of collective sighs blew out, but no one relaxed for a moment. Ayame may have had the looks of a divine princess, but she had the mean streak of a dragon youkai. Inuyasha, along with everyone else, promptly kept their lips sealed after that.

As Ayame and Kouga moved side-by-side along the rooftop of the adjacent building, they crouched down out of plain view, and Ayame stopped as Kouga and the others went on ahead. Inuyasha followed, but he threw a glance back to Ayame.

"This is where I break off. Aki-san and Kagome should be arriving soon. Inuyasha, Kouga's going to give you more instructions. You'll be going in before all of them, of course," Ayame said with a wide grin. "Good luck!" Then, in a swift moment, she retreated to the shadows. Inuyasha could still sense her, but she was nowhere in sight.

"Hey, dog turd, up here," Kouga ordered, gesturing him past the other two wolves.

Kouga pointed. "See that side of the building facing the harbor? There's a small fire escape exit on the end. It's possibly the only opening they would leave unmanned, but it's also the most likely to cause attention for a trap. You'll be entering that way."

Inuyasha nodded. "And you guys?" There was a glint of mischief in Kouga's eyes.

"Don't worry about us. We'll be right behind you," Kouga said with a toothy grin. The other two wolves put on smarmy smirks as well. Inuyasha inwardly groaned.

"Let's split up!" Kouga hissed, and all eyes were on Inuyasha as he moved on. The hanyou took a deep breath and then bounded into the shadows from ledge to ledge, until his feet planted on the ground in a non-descript corner. He glowered at the lonely doorway.

"Well, here goes nothing," he said ruefully. He took a whiff of air, and he searched for a trail of the old man's scent. When he picked up a small sliver of his signature, he followed it and continued forward.

The small door made a low whine as Inuyasha finally slipped inside.

***

Just as expected, when Inuyasha dashed inside the stark light of the open door, he didn't even have a second to check his peripherals before being attacked. Quickly, he dodged the fast noise zooming past his right, which sounded like a loud blast from a modern day weapon. He ducked and jumped back on his heels, and he scented the air, laced with youki and ash. Behind him there was a charcoal stain on the wall. An instinctive growl rumbled out of his throat. His new opponent chuckled in front of him.

"Kitsune," Inuyasha sneered, as he came face to face with a towering lithe fox demon with long black hair and gray eyes. Just like a small fox demon he used to know, he had an air of arrogance and mischief in his smile. The sparkle in his eyes meant unpredictable trouble. Inuyasha grunted but felt a swell of pride.

'I can take him,' Inuyasha thought after sizing him up. 'His weapon means nothing.'

"Well, well, just on time. You must be the infamous hanyou from the Feudal Era I've been briefed about. I'm Hiyato, full-blooded kitsune youkai of the Hokkaido Clan." He paused, and Inuyasha circled him like prey. There was no way he would be on the offensive with this weak guy. He was the one attacking their compound, after all. The battle was in his hands.

"I don't care what your name is. I came for the old man and the kid. Where's your bastard boss got them stashed?" Inuyasha said, flexing his claws and popping his knuckles. The youki in his blood itched for an impending fight.

Hiyato chuckled lightly, and his smirk couldn't have appeared any more arrogant. Why was this guy so confident?

"You are sure of yourself, aren't you? Admirable for a Neanderthal. Let me guess," he said, pausing as he rested his large blaster weapon on his shoulder. "You're not at all intimidated by this Sealing Blaster, are you?"

Inuyasha sniffed; he was tired and irritated at how much modern youkai relied on their contemporary toys. "You've got to be kidding me! I can rip that stupid piece of scrap metal with one swipe of my claws." Inuyasha smirked and readied his stance to pounce.

The fox demon seemed amused, but he sighed in exasperation. "Alright, it's your funeral, dog boy," he said, and he took aim.

Both men exuded complete confidence, but while Hiyato began firing and Inuyasha began dodging, only one had learned his lesson. A few blasts missed Inuyasha by centimeters, and Hiyato moved around well with the large gun, pulling back into several spots to take better aim. The opposite wall was littered with large ash marks from the gun, and though Inuyasha didn't know how much the electric fire coming from the gun would hurt him, he figured it wouldn't sting much more than lightning.

But lightning could still hurt, so he was mindful to avoid the fire anyway.

His opponent charged, forcing Inuyasha into a corner. The hanyou looked away for an out, but the small hallway was too narrow, as if it used to be a closet. Blocking him in, Inuyasha could only jump to avoid the blasts as Hiyato charged at him. Soon Inuyasha wouldn't have a chance to dodge at all.

The air of victory was apparent in Hiyato's eyes, and Inuyasha pulled back and readied to bulldoze both Hiyato and his gun. 'So what if it burns a little? As long as I can get a claw in his eye before I go down from the shock, at least I'll have gotten a piece of him,' Inuyasha thought inwardly, planning his final strategy. He only hoped that while he'd definitely be incapacitated, the stupid tracker Kouga put in his arm would warn them and they'd give him some back up.

He thought of Kouga's reliability in the past and inwardly groaned.

"Say cheese!" Hiyato's snide words broke Inuyasha from his thoughts, and finally he was caught off guard. He had enough of a bounce into the air to build momentum toward him, but the blast was so strong against his chest that it sent him backward instead. Gracefully, Hiyato had stepped out of the way as Inuyasha crumpled to the ground.

Inuyasha felt hot, searing pain as he fell onto his stomach. The shock from the blast coursed through him, like a million knives were stabbing every vein in his body. The sharp scream that erupted from Inuyasha's throat drowned out the chuckling of his opponent.

His vision blurred but he could see his hands shaking in front of him. His eyes widened, and he fought to stay conscious. He watched as his claws began to dull into weak human hands.

'What the …' Suddenly, he felt his most natural and sharpest senses become numb and weak. The strong acrid smell of ash in the air began to fade from his nostrils. The injury from the blast felt agonizing, as if his natural healing ability was waning.

"Hurts like a bitch, doesn't it?" Hiyato said. Inuyasha could no longer sense the sharpness of sound, just like when he was human during the New Moon. "That was just a low setting shot too. You should thank me for my generosity." Hiyato kicked Inuyasha in the stomach, which only intensified the pain.

Inuyasha groaned and looked up at the fox demon's smug face. He was fiddling with the setting on his gun and continued to taunt him.

"Since you're in more of a position to listen to me without interruption, I'll tell you about this sweet baby," he said, indicating the blaster. Inuyasha was furious, and normally he wouldn't care about his opponent's weapon for too long. This time, however, he was curious. He almost wished Kouga would have told him more about modern day weaponry.

"This is a Sealing Blaster, and it was designed by weaker youkai in Europe who banded together to create technology and defend themselves from their larger and stronger youkai rivals. Their guns were such a success they became a superpower in weaponry among the youkai underground. Now the weaker youkai weren't considered so weak," he said, and it was apparent the fox demon's history was linked to that weapon. Maybe one of his clans had been apart of the effort. Inuyasha groaned and felt stupid for being outwitted by a piece of magic metal.

"The lowest setting will eventually wear off in about fifteen minutes." He paused, and Inuyasha watched him make adjustments with the gun through his hazed eyes. "However, at the highest setting, the energy blast could strip a full youkai of his entire demon DNA. He would crumble to dust," he said with a laugh. His eyes sparked. "I've seen it; it's really fucking cool." Inuyasha became worried after that. His opponent definitely didn't indicate in their initial meeting how bloodthirsty he was.

Hiyato scratched his head with the point of the gun lazily. "I don't know what it'll do to a hanyou though. I imagine it'll turn you human, and when your natural immune system tries to locate the missing demon DNA, you'll probably just expire after an internal war of biological degradation." He pointed the gun at Inuyasha's head. He sighed hopefully. "We'll just have to see, won't we?"

Inuyasha made a motion to move, but he couldn't. It wasn't just the severe pain; Hiyato was right. There was a war waging within his body between demon and human blood, clamoring for solidarity and cohesion. He felt like he was being split in two. His hands shook as he reached unsuccessfully for Hiyato's ankle, but the ruthless bastard just kicked his palm aside.

"Now, now, we all know what to do when an animal is too pathetic to live?" Inuyasha would never forget the horrid smirk that appeared the fox demon's face. "We put the poor animal out of its misery."

The gun made a whirr sound as the power heated up inside of it, getting louder as it became ready for fire.

Inuyasha shut his eyes and cursed Kouga for always being stupid and slow. His last thought was of the way Kagome's scent smelled wrapped around him this morning.

Then, he heard a loud buzz and crash. The pain was dulling in his body, and immediately, he opened his eyes, grateful he was still alive.

"You totally give fox demons a bad name, do you know that?" a female voice said above him. Inuyasha looked up, yet he was still too weak to get to his feet. His eyes widened when he saw who his rescuers were.

"Kagome?" he said in a ragged breath. He was so happy he to see her he couldn't even express it in words. He saw her mother smiling jubilantly to Kagome's left.

"It's good we got here in time," she said softly, but Inuyasha was too preoccupied looking at their style of dress. He felt surprised; they weren't wearing the typical miko garb, but it was similar in origin.

He couldn't tear his eyes away from Kagome. She looked like a warrior, with svelte dark red hakuma-inspired bottoms and a slim matching kimono top made of silk that tucked neatly underneath her chest shield, which was made of a material he couldn't identify. It was neither metal, nor was it plastic like some of Kagome's things. It looked solid and protective.

Movement beside them interrupted their reunion. Hiyato was on his butt, rubbing his head and looking mournfully at his empty burnt hands. He gave the two priestesses an accusatory glare. "You bitches! You destroyed my blaster!" He leaped to his feet and came after him. Aki nonchalantly aimed her crossbow at him and gave the enemy a look that Inuyasha had never seen on her lovely face.

"Your pathetic Sealing Blaster is no match for miko magic, the real origin of sealing a demon, a concept from which your kind had borrowed to make such a weapon," Aki said in her melodious voice with an edge of poison. "This crossbow epitomizes the miko sealing and purification process. At its medium setting, a full demon does not turn to ash. Oh no, he ceases to exist."

Hiyato stepped back, and Inuyasha watched Aki's face and then shifted his gaze to Kagome, who seemed to take some awe-struck pride in her mother.

"Okay, don't shoot," cried the demon. Once he had been a confident killer, and now he was shaking as if he was going to piss himself. Inuyasha grinned, feeling their side get the upper hand.

Aki moved toward Hiyato and backed him up against the wall. Kagome joined at her side, and the fox was positively mortified at being targeted by two high-powered priestesses. He gave a wilted look to Kagome and then back to Aki. "I'll tell you where the old man and kid are; just… just get that thing away from me."

Their new prisoner seemed to know all about the danger of miko weaponry and promptly submitted to them.

TBC…


	18. Just Another Hostage Cliche

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Isis-Kitty for the beta job. A lot of people ask me if I'm going to finish this story. Yes, I very much plan on it, and I'm close to being finished too. I'm working on the next chapter now, and I have about three chapters left after that. They shouldn't take more than a couple of months to be updated. Please see my user info page on FFnet or my Yahoo Group for more status updates. Thanks!

Fifteen minutes wore off, and he returned to his youkai form. Inuyasha lumbered to his feet, still feeling a residue of the pain caused by the Sealing Blaster. He popped a few creaks in his neck and then stretched before returning to Kagome's side.

He glared at their fox demon prisoner, and he smirked at the fear on the guy's face as he started to spill.

"Okay, the old man and kid aren't that far off. The boss keeps them separate, on odd ends of the building," he rambled. Kagome's mother seemed satisfied with the answer, but in her continuous aim, she expected him to nark some more.

Suddenly, Inuyasha heard a crackle and looked around the room cautiously, before realizing it was the radio on Aki's arm.

"Hey, Aki-san, are you there? It's Ayame. Please confirm your position. Over."

"I'm here," she said, still keeping her mark on the prisoner. Kagome aimed too and didn't move a muscle. Inuyasha was impressed.

"We're still at the entrance. Inuyasha caught some fire. Where are Kouga and the others?" Aki asked, and Inuyasha noticed she seemed a little perturbed.

The radio crackled slightly, and then Ayame answered. "He got caught up in an ambush. I'm sorry about that, Inuyasha." The hanyou harrumphed, but he was sure she couldn't hear him. "He's helping out some moles that got caught in the crossfire. If it wasn't for the boys, we'd have causalities."

"No worries, Ayame-san," Kagome piped in to reassure her. She glanced at Inuyasha with a confident smile. "We got to him in time."

"Good, now you three can look for the hostages. We're going to filter out moles out and then go back in to find Naru. Okay?"

"Copy that," Aki said in her smooth voice. She eyed the prisoner as Ayame signed off. "Alright, my friend, I suggest you keep talking." Before the poor bastard could even open his mouth, Inuyasha heard a disturbance sneak up behind them.

"Look out!" he screamed, and he pushed Kagome out of the way as Aki dove for the floor as well. A shot rang out, and Inuyasha could see a golden beam fly in the corner of his eye as he was shielding Kagome. Suddenly, he smelled ash again, only this time it wasn't from the wall. He looked up with surprise. The fox demon they had taken prisoner had exploded into a burst of dust.

"Oh no!" Kagome yelled, and Inuyasha held her tighter to protect her as they jumped to their feet. Aki aimed her weapon at the cause of the disturbance, and instinctively, Inuyasha put himself in front of Kagome.

"Who's there?" Inuyasha demanded. In response, he heard a deep, throaty chuckle. He finally came face to face with the enemy who had been targeting them for so long. Inuyasha growled.

"So, we meet again, Inuyasha," he said, and Inuyasha didn't like how this human sounded so much like Naraku, who had long been dead by his own power. He resolved to Sesshoumaru's warning that this incarnation was just as dangerous, but so far he wasn't convinced. When he finally got a good look of this so-called nemesis, he looked nothing more than a dull and modern adult Japanese business male. He didn't look like the intimidating presence that Sesshoumaru and his group was having so many problems locating.

"Heh, I've never met you before in my life," Inuyasha spat at him. "Where are the old man and the kid? We ain't playing games here."

The crooked smile on the man's face seemed to get wider and more sinister. Inuyasha felt an unusual spark of youki from the man, and he realized that it was the same kind of youki he sensed since they came back from his era. He narrowed his eyes at Naru, and he couldn't hold back the instinctive growl. So this was the bum who'd been stalking them since they came back with a completed jewel!

"Oh, come now, surely your brother has told you all about me," he said with a cackle. He looked pointedly at Inuyasha. "Unless you're too stupid to remember."

"Bastard! How the hell can you remember who your incarnation was anyway? It's not possible. Who told you?"

Naru chuckled. "You're not as dumb as I had foreseen. Of course, you have fought many battles and have been through many tough trials.

"But you are correct at the moment. Pity your past self was too ignorant to realize what he had left behind when my former self was destroyed." The man eyes sparkled blood-red, and he didn't look so harmless anymore. His power was increasing by the minute. Even more so, his arms and limbs were starting to wobble like noodles, and Inuyasha thought for a moment his eyes were deceiving him. He felt the muscles in his body tense. Something bad was going to happen. He moved in front of Kagome, shielding her as best as he could.

Then, as the bastard continued to smirk at him and get off a few guffaws, a thought dawned on him. Kagome made a gasp next to him as if she had the same thought.

"Byakuya! We never…" Inuyasha met her frightened eyes. "We never saw where he went. I just assumed he was killed too."

Naru laughed darkly. "No you got to him, but hundreds of my other minions were left behind with nothing to live for, except for one thing: the hope that I would someday return to this world in another life. So they waited for me, and when my soul was reborn they stole me away from my human mother and the ritual began all over again."

"The ritual?" Kagome asked.

"He took in the demons, just as Onigumo did. He gave them his fresh and corruptible soul," Aki chimed in. Kagome turned her head, and Inuyasha saw her look to Naru with pity. He growled, instead, and felt an entirely different emotion than pity for the man.

"Alright, alright, so you got a fresh start and your goons remade you into another Naraku, but there's something your lackeys were too stupid to figure out the second time around," Inuyasha said. He looked to Kagome and gave her a light nod. Her eyes confirmed what he was going to ask.

"And what was that?" Naru asked, sounding almost bored, as if he wasn't intimidated by Inuyasha's words at all.

Inuyasha chuckled. "It means that I kicked your ass once, I can do it again." Then, Kagome handed him his prize that she was hiding all along, and once he felt the sword in his hands, he felt a part of himself return. He almost sighed in relief as he held it again. Bringing it out of its scabbard, it transformed and readied into its most powerful form, the Meido Zangetsuha. He pointed it at Naru, who merely scowled at his defiance.

"We'll see about that, my old friend," Naru said mockingly. Suddenly, the air around them felt denser and heavy with a sulfuric smell. Inuyasha leaned back, still protective of Kagome after hearing a light cough. The room filled up with classic violet miasma, and Aki whispered to hold their position. A change was occurring in Naru; Inuyasha could hear it, and when the smoke cleared, they weren't expecting the image in front of them.

He was no longer just a dull looking man. Now, his half-demon blood had shown through, only he was much uglier than his previous incarnation. Instead of being made of just tentacles and parts of other demons, Naru had combined himself with this modern demon technology, some of which Inuyasha still didn't fully understand.

"He looks like a Cyborg," Kagome commented, and her mother nodded in agreement next to her.

"I don't care what he looks like. I'm just going to rip him to shreds with the Meido Zangetsuha. I'm tired of this shit," Inuyasha complained.

"Wait, Inuyasha!" Aki warned. "You don't understand what he's fused with." Aki squinted through the smoke as Inuyasha held back. "I – I don't even recognize some of it."

"Right you are, woman," replied Naru, well aware of their conversation before him. "I have designed some of the technology myself; stealing the youki of other lesser youkai and combining it to fuel the power cells of these metal arms." He whipped the metallic tentacles around, teasing and taunting them as they quickly ducked and dodged when he jabbed at them.

"Huh, so what? It's all the same to me, stupid computers and witchcraft! I've had enough of it!" Inuyasha said, making to charge. Aki yelled to hold him back again, but he was impatient.

"Don't, Inuyasha! We can work together! Fight him as a team!" Aki exclaimed. Inuyasha hesitated, and he looked back at her before dodging another one of the tentacles swipes.

"Alright, Kagome stays back, you do whatever you want, and I go toward the center!" he said, content with his impromptu plan. Aki tried to protest, but he was already running full speed toward the mechanical hybrid.

"Wait!" Kagome yelled, and she watched as Inuyasha slashed a few metal tentacles off with his sword. Her eyes widened as the arms quickly grew back. Inuyasha jumped back to their circle, and then he swore softly under his breath. Aki sighed.

"Okay, now that you have that out of your system," Aki said. "Let's work out a plan."

Inuyasha fell back, shielding them. There was trepidation in his voice. "No time for a plan."

"Why not?" Kagome asked, but Aki was already pushing her back.

"Get back! He's going to explode!" Heat licked at their skin as Inuyasha tried to keep his eyes open. A blast knocked them all back, and Kagome was pulled out of his reach. He screamed for her, but within the black acrid smoke, he could only discern that one of the metal arms had grabbed her while they were distracted from the explosion.

"Kagome!" he screamed, but her voice was already fading in the distance as the monster dragged her away. He could hear the fiend's laugh echoing throughout the building, and his horrible stench masked the scented path of his precious Kagome.

"Kagome!" He made to leap off after her, but Aki pulled him back. He pushed her hand off his shoulder, and he looked into her regretful face as the smoke cleared.

"Inuyasha, I'm sorry," she said. "We should go back to Sesshoumaru, see what he wants to do."

"Fuck him! I'm going after her; she's still in this building. I'll find her. I don't care what I have to do," he said.

"You don't get it, Inuyasha." Aki's eyes left his gaze for a moment, and she looked up at the top of the room. He followed her line of vision, and he saw a black screen at the top of the wall, scrolling a red warning. Suddenly, strange annoying noises went off, and a voice told them to evacuate the building. "Naru set off a bomb. We have ten minutes to get out or this place will blow."

Inuyasha screeched in frustration. "What about Kagome and the old man and kid? What the hell? What are we going to do about them?"

"We can only pray that Kouga and the others found them and got them out. Otherwise, Naru won't want to kill Kagome. He's going to use her as a bargaining tool."

Inuyasha looked at her with confusion, but she grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back toward the door. The noises grew louder, and the warning became stuck in his head. His feet moved in pace with Aki's, and soon they were free from the facility. When he heard that they had ten seconds to spare, he picked up Aki and bounded them far from the facility. They watched as the warehouse began to explode, and then Aki received another transmission on her radio armband.

"Aki-san, are you there? Did you get out in time? Over." It was Ayame's voice.

"Ayame, yes, we got out in time."

"Good! We have your father and the boy. Did you see Naru?" Ayame asked, sounding elated. Inuyasha knew that she wouldn't be cheerful for too long.

"Yes, copy that. We saw him, but there's been a problem," Aki said dejectedly.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Kouga was talking now. He seemed worried, and Inuyasha hadn't heard him that worried in a long time.

"We're fine, but Kagome was kidnapped. Naru has her, and it's only a matter of time before he asks for ransom," Aki answered. He saw the tears forming in her eyes as she spoke.

There was a long silence over the air waves before Kouga finally responded back. "Understood. Let's get back to base. We have to plan out a new mission to get her back." Aki sniffled and suddenly, Inuyasha was taking the woman into his arms as she cried.

"We'll see you back at my brother's place, wolf," Inuyasha said gruffly, and as the connection was cut, he held the crying mother in his arms until she was ready to go.

***

It was déjà vu as they circled around Sesshoumaru's desk in his poorly lit office.

He folded his hands over his desk and stared at the phone. Aki put her hand on his shoulder, and once Inuyasha saw him lift up his own hand and pat her comfortingly.

"I've received the call. He wants to meet back at Tokyo Bay at his last remaining warehouse in the Chiba Prefecture. He wants one thing, and one of us has to go alone."

"I'll do it," Inuyasha said, stepping up.

"I know you would, brother, but you cannot," Sesshoumaru said, giving him a dangerous glare. "We cannot give him what he's asking for under any conditions. At least, we have to come up with a plan before we do."

"Screw your damn plans!" Inuyasha yelled, his fists shaking at his sides. "I already know what that bastard wants, and Kagome's life is worth more than that stupid jewel!"

"Now, Inuyasha, you know what happened the last time Naraku got a hold of the completed jewel. He was almost unstoppable," Aki countered.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this! This is Kagome we're talking about! You want to sacrifice her life for the jewel!" he raged. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to meet Kouga's icy blue gaze.

"Nobody is sacrificing anyone, idiot! We all care about Kagome, and we will get her back – our way, not yours."

Inuyasha pushed his hand off his shoulder and pointed a claw at him. "I don't want to hear that from you. Your ways, all your modern magic and technology have failed, now it's my turn to do it my way!"

Sesshoumaru leaned back in his chair, and he put up his hand to dispel and impending argument from Kouga and Inuyasha. "Alright, little brother. What's your plan? How do we save Kagome you way without giving up the jewel? I'm all ears."

He looked around the room before staring into his brother's challenging expression. His eyes narrowed, and he cracked his knuckles.

"I fought Naraku with the sword before and beat him; I'll do it to this guy too. He wants one person and one person only to make the exchange? Let it be me. Kagome's mom here said I can cloak anything in that ninja suit, so I'll keep my sword there and pull it out when I need it." He paused and he looked at Kouga and his lackeys, who didn't seem to be on board for his plan. "You guys just have to trust me to go alone with the transaction. As for coming as my backup, well, I'll leave that up to you and your fancy technology. I'm sure you can think of something, but you have to let me deal with Naru and rescue Kagome."

"And what about the jewel, dog turd? You're just going to give it to him? Then what? He becomes some super powered monster with all his technology so we can't even take him down? How is that for a plan?" Kouga taunted as he crossed his arms. The wolf demon still didn't seem convinced. Inuyasha turned to him and met his demanding stare close to his face.

"I'm going to trade the jewel for Kagome, but I never said I was gonna let him use it, wolf piss," he said.

The two dominant males became locked in a momentary stare-down before Kouga backed off and gave Inuyasha a mocking smirk. "Whatever, let's see what the old dog can do."

"Yeah, and you can worry about your own damn plan. I'm getting Kagome," Inuyasha promised. He spun around and held out his hand to Sesshoumaru. "Give me the jewel, and we can get started."

Sesshoumaru considered him for a long pause and then nodded his head. "You better not fail little brother. I will place the blame and the fate of the world directly in your hands."

Inuyasha scoffed. "Ha, not like that hasn't happened before." Sesshoumaru raised a single eyebrow in amusement. Inuyasha frowned. "You don't have to be a jerk about it either; now pony up that jewel or do I have to dig it out of your ass?"

To be continued…


	19. Risky Business

Inuyasha left Sesshoumaru's hideout without being entirely too sure that his plan was going to work. He wanted to save Kagome and didn't even care if this Naru guy got the jewel. He just wanted Kagome to be safe. He was tired of fighting people over this jewel, most of all any version of Naraku. However, if he told his brother his true feelings, he doubted Sesshoumaru would just give up the jewel. Plus, he was sure his brother and the wolf demons would come up with a plan to shadow his movements and back him up. Or, so Inuyasha hoped.

Before he could leave toward Chiba prefecture, he was stopped at the exit of Sesshoumaru's compound by Kagome's mother. He didn't totally expect her to get one last word in, but she had been surprising him lately, by going from a capable warrior priestess to a concerned mother who broke down in his arms. This time, however, she was all business.

"I need to give you something for your plan, Inuyasha," she said with her usual confident expression. "I know better than your brother that you don't have everything entirely worked out for when you meet Naru."

"Feh," he said, and she gave him a small smile. She held out her hand. "What is it, then?" He looked down in her palm. Against her black glove he saw a very tiny square. He scratched his head with puzzlement.

"This is a microchip," Aki told him. "It will help you create a diversion when you exchange the jewel for Kagome."

"How so?" he asked, bending over to peer closer at the small microchip.

"This square is flexible, and it will seal itself once you put it on the jewel. Once it has fused with the power of the jewel, a masking ingredient that was artificially created by chameleon youkai will make the chip impossible to see by the naked eye. It also masks the energy signature put off by the chip against the jewel. The only problem is the masking agent will only be active for 24 hours, and then it will make itself visible from loss of energy and the unit will be useless," she warned.

"So what's the point of this thing?" Inuyasha asked, not really catching half of what she just explained.

"Once the jewel is in Naru's hands, you will have less than 10 seconds to get Kagome away, and then it'll explode. The jewel will be fine, of course, but it'll give you enough time to create a diversion and get it back from Naru," she explained.

Inuyasha's eyes widened as he understood. "Good, this'll make things easier." He pulled out the Shikon Jewel from his pocket, and handed it to Aki, who delicately put on the microchip. Just as she said, the microchip went invisible immediately. Inuyasha couldn't even sense it. She plopped the jewel back into his hands. She nodded her head and gave Inuyasha an encouraging smile.

He nodded back, and he turned around and headed toward the meeting place at Tokyo Bay, running as fast as his legs would take him. He thought of Kagome as he ran, and his confidence in his plan began to fuel his determination.

"Wait for me, Kagome. I'll get you back very soon," he said under his breath.

***

As Inuyasha smelled the sea and salt in the air, he came to the docks by Tokyo Bay without knowing what to expect from Naru. As he arrived at the designated spot, he didn't see anyone around, but he sure sensed a lot of youkai, even since many of them in this modern era were apt to masking spells.

It seemed like Naru's goons weren't concerned at this point to shield their energy from him. He wasn't intimidated, however, and his confidence had boosted since Kagome's mother gave him the microchip for the jewel.

He stopped, and finally a long black stretch limo drove up to the docks, and when it parked, he tensed when Naru and two of his lackeys came of out the car, dragging Kagome with them. He was glad to see that she was unharmed, though he was more than pissed when he saw her arms bound behind her and her mouth gagged.

They'd pay for everything they did to her.

His eyes narrowed as Naru's henchmen came up under a street lamp and their faces were clearly revealed.

"You!" Inuyasha snarled at them, and he met the playful eyes of Takeda Oogami and the solemn face of Riho Taguchi.

"Did you miss me, big guy?" Takeda asked sweetly, which prompted a fierce growl from Inuyasha.

"I should have known you two were involved in this exchange," Inuyasha spat. Takeda looked downright delighted to see him again, whereas Riho did not look happy to be there. Something did not look right about Riho, and Inuyasha filed that thought in the back of his mind.

Before Takeda could prolong the conversation any further, Naru stepped up and held up his hand to silence them. He grinned darkly at the hanyou, and he traced a finger down Kagome's jaw as the girl started to struggle, glaring at him.

Inuyasha's fists clenched at his sides. "Don't you touch her, you asshole!"

Naru merely laughed, and he clasped his hands in front of him with a relaxed demeanor. "I trust you have what I want. That's why you're here, isn't it? I'm surprised Sesshoumaru allowed you to take the jewel from him so easily."

"Keh," Inuyasha said. "This is between you and me, scumbag. Now hand over Kagome and you can have your jewel."

Naru's eyes shimmered with a dark red. "I want to see it first, dog."

Inuyasha pulled the jewel out of his ninja suit and displayed it for him. Somewhere on the surface the microchip was hidden, but Naru didn't know that, nor did he sense that. Inuyasha cracked a grin. He looked away momentarily from Naru and met Riho's eyes. "I can understand why Takeda is a scoundrel and helping this jerk, but what's your story, lady? Are you just another corrupt and desperate human?"

Riho narrowed her eyes at him, but she did not answer.

Naru laughed. "It's no use getting through to her, Inuyasha. Riho has a contract with me to spare her poor brother. It's sad how her family got so far into debt that they needed to come to me for help, but Riho didn't know what kind of help that was." Naru grinned toothily. "What an unfortunate soul."

Riho looked away, and Naru turned to Takeda. Apparently, he was confident enough to have someone else retrieve the jewel for him. "Get the jewel, and take the girl with you." Takeda nodded, and he dragged Kagome along, who started to protest, kicking him and stepping on his feet.

"Stop it, bitch, or I'll toss you in the river," Takeda said sweetly, and he earned a protective growl from Inuyasha. Soon, the rivals came face to face, and Takeda held out his hand.

"Here's your girlfriend, now be a dear and hand the Shikon jewel over," Takeda demanded.

"You want this, punk?" Inuyasha asked. Takeda frowned. Quickly before Takeda could blink, Inuyasha grabbed Kagome from his grasp and pulled her back. Takeda put his fingers on the jewel, but Inuyasha swiped it away as Naru lurched after them in the background. Inuyasha tossed the jewel far ahead of their limo, and he pulled out his sword. Naru stalled, turning his attention back to where the jewel was falling. One of his long tentacles appeared and he clamored after the jewel that was rolling around at Riho's feet.

"You fool! Pick up that jewel!" Naru barked at her. Riho hesitated, and she picked up the jewel before he could grab it when she realized what was happening. Naru was charging after her, and Inuyasha saw the girl clutch the jewel to her chest.

In a quick motion, he swiped Takeda with his sword as the fiend lunged forward. Takeda staggered back and fell on his bottom, and he seemed to be out cold for the moment. Inuyasha saw Kagome was okay in the corner of his eye, so he bounded after Riho who still had the jewel. She backed up, and she looked back at Naru and Inuyasha who both watched her to see her next move.

"Give me the jewel and I will release you and your brother from your contracts," Naru said quickly. Riho backed up against the limo.

"Don't listen to him, Riho. You know he'll never let you go," Inuyasha said to her. She looked back and forth to her boss and to Inuyasha. She seemed… scared, an emotion that he never saw from the woman.

Even more puzzling was that Naru wasn't immediately going after her. He watched as the woman mulled over her decision on who to trust. He acted calmly, smiling as if he knew the girl would choose him in the end anyway.

"Riho, you hardly know this man. Who has taken care of you all this time?" Naru said smoothly.

"You have, Mr. Hamakoji," Riho said. "But are you really going to take care of me and my brother?" Her eyes narrowed and her expression changed to a serious tone. "If I give you this jewel, will we really be free?"

"Yes, my child," he said softly.

She looked nervous. Her eyes darted around and she moved even farther back from the two of them. "I want it in writing. Right now. Then you can have the jewel."

"You have my word, my dear. You don't need it in writing. My word is worth so much more," he said.

"But that's what I want!" she said. Inuyasha watched her with awe. She looked like the typical disgruntled worker, fed up with her boss and wanting a way out, especially when her boss was a high profile and dangerous mobster.

Naru sighed. "Very well." Inuyasha turned to him curiously, and his youki turned violet as he began to fully transform into the fused technological monster. He looked perturbed, and as he stared at Riho, Inuyasha began to suspect what was happening.

"You idiot!" he said, rushing to push Riho out of the way.

But it was too late. She started to run as a tentacle veered toward her. She made a frightened squeak and the jewel fell out of her hands and rolled onto the concrete underneath her legs. Inuyasha dove for her, pulling her away and shielding her when he remembered something very important.

Naru grasped the jewel easily when it was out of her hands, and Inuyasha felt it was smart to run as Aki's plan came into play.

Not many seconds later the jewel exploded. Naru staggered back in surprise, and Riho screamed in his ear, and he only hoped Kagome was far enough away and safe from the explosion when he could not get to her.

To Be Continued…


	20. Swan Song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I realize these last few chapters are pretty much jossed thanks to the ending of the manga and anime, so I hope you still enjoy the ending. Thank you to my beta Isis-Kitty for being amazing and sticking by me all these years.

Before the smoke cleared, Inuyasha was leaping to his feet over Riho and frantically searching for Kagome. He squinted through the smoke, and he sighed in relief as he found her safely hidden behind a crate of boxes. In the corner of Inuyasha's eye, he saw Naru desperately pawing around the debris for the jewel with his hands and mechanical tentacles. When a tentacle barely missed stabbing his face, Inuyasha dove for Riho, who was unfortunately no longer where he'd left her.

The air was beginning to clear up, and the smoke lifted from the dock, where many of the crates and wooden boards had been burnt badly or destroyed. He yelled at Riho, who jumped forward when she spotted the jewel, and she ran for it as if her life depended upon it.

Inuyasha reached ahead, trying to beat Riho to the jewel. He still had no idea what the woman intended to do with it, but he wanted to be there in case Naru tried to scoop up the jewel before her, or if he tried to hurt anyone else.

How it happened, Inuyasha wasn't sure, but Riho managed to grab the jewel right before one of Naru's mechanical tentacles; however, another tentacle came out from under the smoke and tripped her from her already wobbly footing. Inuyasha gaped as Riho fell over, the jewel once again slipping from her grasp. Inuyasha dove for it, watching it roll on an uneven incline past him and toward Kagome. He heard a scream behind him, and he turned his head around to see that Naru had impaled Riho with one of his tentacles, putting the poor woman out of her misery. The scent of blood filled the air, and Inuyasha and Kagome watched in awe as Riho gasped on her last breath. Takeda was coming awake too, and he rubbed his sore bottom and watched with some small pity as Naru killed his comrade. He smirked and shrugged his shoulders, as Inuyasha met his eyes before turning back to glare at Naru.

"You bastard! You'll pay for that!" Inuyasha didn't much like Riho, but the woman didn't deserve to die, especially not when she was doing everything to help her brother.

"Inuyasha!" He snapped his head around when he heard Kagome's voice. She had the jewel in her possession as she continued to hide behind a huge crate, which made Inuyasha spring over to her and fight off one of Naru's tentacles before it could reach her. He growled at Naru when everyone fell into a quick standstill, and his sword turned a dark black with a sea of stars as he readied his next attack.

Naru's next move surprised them when he pulled out a simple revolver and pointed it at Kagome. Of course, they all _thought_ it was simple.

"You think that gun is going to stop my sword, asshole?" Power surged from Tessaiga, and Inuyasha cracked a confident grin at him. He could feel his demon blood warring inside him, winning as it bubbled to the surface. Kagome gasped behind him, and he already knew that his eyes must have turned red. Tessaiga was barely containing the rage exploding within him.

"I admit, I was first amused by your ignorance of youkai technology in the modern era, Inuyasha," Naru said, but he was no longer smiling. "No more. I will do away with you with one of the most powerful youkai weapons ever forged. This is not a mere revolver, boy. This was forged to cause a rip between this world and the land of the dead, much like your sword."

"Another Meidou Zangetsuha?" Kagome asked. "If the two were to meet..." Her face paled. "Inuyasha... there must be another way! You two could destroy Tokyo!"

Before Inuyasha was able to make a choice, their tense scene was interrupted by Aki, Sesshoumaru, and Kouga and Ayame's crew as they came up behind Inuyasha and Kagome on the dock. When they took in the sight of Naru's gun and Inuyasha's sword blazing with power, everyone realized the gravity of the situation.

"I know of that revolver," Sesshoumaru chimed in. "It was my mother who forged it." He growled as Naru grinned.

"An amazing woman, your mother. She liked her riches too much in this modern era, which was why she was so easy to bargain with. In return for her treasures and solitude, this weapon was practically a steal," he boasted, which only seemed to aggravate Sesshoumaru further.

"Brother, you must be careful. Do not take his threat lightly. If those two powers connect..."

"I know, I know! I get it! What am I supposed to do, huh?" Inuyasha's hands slightly trembled as he gripped his sword, and Kagome put a comforting hand on his shoulder. When she touched him, they were both surprised as the Shikon no Tama in her hand began to glow. Inuyasha took her hand into his, and they watched the jewel together, their joined auras increasing its output. Even Naru seemed intrigued.

Kagome's eyes widened and Inuyasha felt the power too. It was increasing rapidly; in power and in light. It washed over them slowly, but Kagome spoke before it enveloped them all.

"Inuyasha, finally...it's time."

***

Kagome became frightened when she opened her eyes and Inuyasha was not beside her. She missed the feeling of his hand in hers. When she realized where she was after the jewel's light consumed them all, she started walking forward through the open black space.

She guessed that she was in another dimension inside the jewel. She could hear demons growling in the unseen background, and their voices echoed in the hollow space as she kept walking and searching.

"Hello?"

She didn't know what she was supposed to do. She wanted to know why the Shikon no Tama brought her here, and why she was separated from Inuyasha.

She heard a mechanical buzz and clank to her right, so she spun her head around and found the source. Her eyes widened, and she looked up into a hive of webs. They held many forms, but two of them she recognized as Naru and Naraku. What the...? Were all of these forms Naraku's incarnations?

"Good instincts, Kagome," a voice said to her side. When she looked up, she was next to Kikyou, who had her arrows ready. She looked down at Kagome with that typical, impassive expression of hers, and she huffed. "Well, are you ready?"

"What ... what are you doing here? You died!" Kagome exclaimed, looking her up and down, for she did not believe what she was seeing.

"I'm alive because you are," Kikyou said simply. "Now get your bow ready. We have to fight."

"I don't want to fight anymore! I completed the jewel! Now I just want to live a normal life," Kagome whined. She met Kikyou's piercing eyes, and Kagome held up her chin. "A normal life with Inuyasha."

"You will never have that. Not as long as the jewel exists. You will fight inside it for all eternity," Kikyou said. "Now, ready your bow." Kikyou took the first shot, and Kagome watched it fly past with pink, spiritual brilliance. Kagome's hands trembled, itching to follow Kikyou's lead.

"No, I won't fight," she said. "I refuse!"

"We will die then. We will lose the battle," Kikyou said, and she turned to Kagome and put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, sister. We must fight. Midoriko is waiting for us to join her." Then Kikyou smiled, so sickeningly sweet that it caused a pang in Kagome's stomach.

That was when Kagome knew that this wasn't real; this Kikyou was a part of her imagination. She pushed her aside and ran away into the dark.

***

Kagome woke up, startled and disoriented. She was just standing next to Kikyou who wanted her to fight. Now she was bound tightly, high upon the Goshinboku. Inuyasha was screaming beneath her.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome struggled with her bindings, ripping at the skin on her wrists. She watched as Inuyasha sobbed and clawed at the dirt, unearthing the hilt of his sword. When he finally freed it from its grave, he spun around and started dashing toward a form that looked like Naraku. Only it wasn't, not really, and Kagome knew this.

"Stop! Inuyasha!" she screamed as much as high and loud as her voice could get, but he could not hear her. "Don't fight him, please! You'll be trapped!"

Suddenly, she was free from her bindings, and she didn't know why. She plummeted toward the earth about five feet, and Inuyasha fortunately stopped charging. He turned around and stared at her spot, like he was looking through her.

"Yes, that's it! Come on! It's me, Inuyasha! Can't you hear me?" she pleaded, and she watched as the sword went limp in his grasp.

"Kagome?" he called to her, suspicious that he was hearing things; however, he started walking toward her anyway. Somehow, as he came closer, the veil between them became thinner. The thickness of the gray mist around them started to fad. Suddenly he became clearer, and in his eyes he could see that she was becoming visible for him too. "Kagome!" He rushed to her, letting the sword fall into the ground. He scooped her into his arms and held her like he'd never let go.

"Inuyasha," she said. "I was looking for you. I didn't think I'd ever see you again." She met his golden eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. "I met Kikyou. She wanted me to fight with her - forever."

"I saw Naraku. He taunted me, daring me to fight him," he said.

"But I refused. I suppose I was brought here to see you make the mistake," Kagome said as Inuyasha regarded her curiously. "If one of us would have fought, I'm afraid the jewel would have trapped us forever."

"Then how... how did we get out of the spell?" he asked. Kagome shook her head with a smile.

"I shouted for you as loud as I could, hoping I could reach you," she said, but then they were both distracted by a pink glow, now materializing within their joined hands. "The jewel! It was with me all along. I didn't realize."

Inuyasha pulled her close to him, and she felt him tense. "I have a feeling we aren't done yet. Look, Kagome."

She looked to her right, and inside the space of the jewel, which was now starting to meld with the outside world flickering beyond the light of the veil, they saw Naru, Naraku's incarnation, coming toward them in a blob of demons and tentacle machines.

"What do we do now? We can't fight! We'll be trapped inside the jewel again," Kagome said, fearing for their options. Inuyasha growled; he didn't like it any more than she did.

The jewel felt hotter in her hand, as if it was trying to tell them something. Kagome looked down at her palm, red and blistered from the jewel. She couldn't hold onto it much longer. It was releasing so much energy it might melt off her skin.

"That's it! It's the jewel! It's fighting us! It doesn't want us to know!" Kagome said, and Inuyasha looked at her confused. "Trust me on this." She took his hand, held it tighter, and said, "Wish with me, Inuyasha. Wish for the jewel to be gone from this world forever!"

Quickly, he closed his eyes and did just that.

***

The light of the jewel poured out of them, but it was benevolent and quickly dissipated. When it was all over, Inuyasha and Kagome opened their eyes to some residual white light that was hovering over the dock. In the light, they caught a glimpse of Midoriko's spirit, who thanked them for freeing her as she quickly faded into the ether.

Inuyasha was still tense, looking to continue fighting with Naru, who seemed defeated and angry now that the jewel was gone. He charged for them, tentacles biting and grabbing for them, but suddenly someone else stepped in to shield them.

Sesshoumaru had transformed into his true youkai form, and he snatched Naru in one large bite, chewing and melting him with his acid-filled mouth. As quickly as he chomped on him, he spit the rest of Naru onto the ground, letting the other Vigilantes to finish him off with their high-powered youkai weapons. When they were done, Naru was nothing but a pile of broken debris within a purple puddle of goo.

"Ha!" Kouga said triumphantly. "It's about time the side characters defeat the bad guy!" He shot Inuyasha an offensive gesture with his finger, and Inuyasha rolled his eyes at him.

"So, it's over," Ayame said, walking up to Sesshoumaru's side, who had since transformed, but was politely trying to cough out the rest Naru's remnants without putting on too much of a scene. When it became unbearable for him, he excused himself. Kagome and Inuyasha heard him hack out a large snot ball behind one of the remaining crates on the dock, and then return to their party without looking hardly ruffled at all.

To make matters more ridiculous, Kagome went to thank her mother, but found her running toward her classmate Hojo and scooping him up for a very noisy (and probably illegal) kiss on the lips. Kagome didn't even know where he came from since they saved him, but he assumed he tagged along to watch them put on a good show. She sighed to this, wondering what sort of life she had to get used to now that her mother was sucking face with a boy her age that had once shown interest in _her_.

Inuyasha turned her thoughts away from the aftermath hullabaloo, and he pulled her into a long embrace. He whispered in her ear about finding some alone time later, and she chuckled, knowing full well her hanyou had meant it.

"Well, now what do we do?" Inuyasha asked his brother, who was ordering around many of his lackeys.

"Things go back to normal, little brother. We round up Naru's men, interrogate them for useful information, and then lock them away in the youkai security prison in Hokkaido. Then, we move onto the next youkai threat in Japan. Just another Tuesday for us." Sesshoumaru nodded as they dragged Takeda away in cuffs and signed some clipboards that were handed to him, and Inuyasha watched at how efficiently Sesshoumaru's men were cleaning up the mess. Soon it wouldn't look like a battle went on here at all.

"I guess this means our lives will be normal now that the jewel is gone." Kagome sighed, shocked that the words were coming out of her mouth. "I can finally finish school!" She cheered.

"Hey, boss, are you still thinking about giving Inu-kuro a job?" Kouga asked Sesshoumaru, gaining Inuyasha's attention. "You have to admit, he was sort of useful."

"Yes... but he'll have to be trained. That'll be costly," Sesshoumaru said with a sniff. "He has a lot to learn."

"Hey, you jerk! You know I'm a good fighter!" Inuyasha huffed and crossed his arms reproachfully. "Besides, who says I want a job from _you_?"

"Oh, I apologize. You already have a job. I had no idea you enjoyed modeling human underwear," Sesshoumaru said with an evil smirk. "My mistake."

Kouga roared with laughter, but Inuyasha's face was so red he was ready to kill them all. Kagome put a soothing hand on his shoulder, and she nodded to Sesshoumaru. "Ah, do I have a say in this? I'd really like you to give him the job." Inuyasha continued to growl, but Kagome seemed to quell his anger for now.

"Very well," Sesshoumaru said. "Let us return to the compound. I have something else to show you in the meantime."

Kagome and Inuyasha looked at each other in wonder. Apparently, Sesshoumaru was still hiding something from them. They followed him eagerly into the limo waiting outside the docks, and Inuyasha stared at his brother suspiciously on the other side of the vehicle. What was he planning? Kagome seemed intrigued, and she was more than entertained by the back-and-forth nature of the two brothers. It was sort of peaceful in a way.

One could almost get used to it.

TBC...


	21. Another Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter left after this! Thanks to Isis-Kitty for the beta job.

Most of the limo ride back to the Vigilante compound was quiet, but when Kagome's thoughts began to overflow, she voiced aloud some of the idle things on her mind.

"It's a shame the jewel won't take us back to the past and that we're still stuck here," Kagome said with a languid sigh. "I'm really going to miss Miroku and Sango. The future seems so empty without them."

Her eyes flickered over to Sesshoumaru's face, who merely looked at her with a mysterious smirk. For a demon who had a stick up his ass for the time Kagome had known him, living in the modern era had sure mellowed him out.

"The important thing is that Miroku and Sango lived a good life," Inuyasha said resolutely. "I guess I'm going to have to get used to all these weird youkai dealings in your time."

Kagome turned to Inuyasha with a smile, and she took his hands. For once, he didn't mind the public display of affection in front of Sesshoumaru and her mother (and Hojo, who was awkwardly snuggled in between her mother and Sesshoumaru in the seat). "It's not a total loss; at least we weren't separated for a long time only to have us suffer."

"All is not lost, Kagome," her mother said with a light giggle, and Sesshoumaru shot her a warning glare. Apparently, her mother could no longer contain herself on the secret that Sesshoumaru was about to reveal. Aki turned her gaze to Sesshoumaru and shot him a morose, pleading pout.

It miraculously seemed to work on him.

Sesshoumaru sighed. "If you must know, you may go back to the past. I have someone working on it. He's been using technology for your well so you can travel back without the Shikon Jewel."

Kagome and Inuyasha stared agape at him. "Are you kidding? How is that possible?" Inuyasha asked.

Aki giggled. "Well, it seems our guy working on it considers himself something of a genius."

Sesshoumaru scoffed. "He _thinks_ that lazy simpleton. He's just got centuries of experience."

"So he's a full demon," Inuyasha guessed, and Kagome saw him watching his brother's eyes closely. "We know this demon, don't we?"

Kagome's mother grinned so widely the muscles in her face could barely contain her excitement. Sesshoumaru looked smugger than ever. "Here we are," he announced, and Inuyasha and Kagome looked out the window and noticed the driver had taken them to a part of the compound they hadn't seen yet. Next to the obvious main part of the structure, a lone, meager metallic shed was tacked on beside it.

"It doesn't look like much, but that's only because our research team does everything underground. Less accidents and pollution that way," Aki assured them. Soon, they were ushered out of the limo and following behind Aki and Sesshoumaru's lead. Hojo fell behind them, and Kagome found it amazing Sesshoumaru was allowing the kid to see this much inside his secret lair.

***

"Hey, Shippo! The boss is here!" a girl yelled beside him, and Shippo nearly fell out of his chair as the warning light for the front door flashed, alerting that someone was coming down to the basement.

"No way! Is he bringing who I think he's bringing, Souten?" he asked her with shocked green eyes. His frizzy-haired partner grinned next to him.

"Ayame radioed it in. Naru is finished, and now we get a chance to finally see Kagome," she answered, and she made sure to brush the Cheetos crumbs off the front of her Runaways shirt before the boss arrived.

"After all this time!" Shippo exclaimed with glee, and he pushed back the messy strands of red hair from his eyes.

"And Inuyasha too," Kai chimed from the corner, turning his head as his silver ponytail swished around his shoulder.

"Don't act so excited, Kai," Souten said sarcastically, and Kai scoffed at her, offended.

"Stop it, both of you! This might not go so well. I'm still not done with that Rift Stabilizer, and Sesshoumaru's going to be pissed!" Shippo informed them with a groan.

"We have a couple hours left on it," Kai said. "It should be done by then, and it'll give them a chance to relax."

"You bring that up when Sesshoumaru grills me, okay Kai?" Shippo said; still not convinced he was getting off the hook. He let out a happy sigh. "Still, it's been a long time."

***

They followed Sesshoumaru down the dank, cold stairs, and already Inuyasha complained about the smell and buzzing electronics in the air.

"It feels a bit stifling, yes, but it is all worth it," Sesshoumaru said, and he opened the door and Kagome gasped when they laid their eyes on three young adult looking demons, all of them instantly recognizable from their past. One was Shippo of course, and Kagome and Inuyasha were also surprised to see teenage versions of Kai and Souten.

"Shippo!" Kagome squealed, and the fox demon - even though he had the body of an eighteen year old - leaped into her arms, just as he always did when he was a child. He hugged her tightly, burying his nose in her scent.

"Kagome! It's so good to see you," he said, and then his nose wrinkled. "Damn, I was hoping Inuyasha hadn't claimed you yet. I'm definitely older than him now," he said, pausing and waggling his eyebrows at her. "And available."

Inuyasha growled, ready to strike him, but Shippo was already punished by a book thrown to the back of his head. "Hey!" he called, and he turned around to glare at Souten, who didn't seem too thrilled about his flirting with Kagome.

"Why can't you behave, Shippo? You haven't seen Kagome in hundreds of years and you hit on her?" Souten scolded him. Shippo made a sheepish apology, and Kagome giggled. Inuyasha glared at him, but Kagome could tell in his face he was glad to see the kitsune too.

"Oh, don't worry, Souten, I'll see Kagome and Inuyasha soon enough." He grinned at them both. "What do you think about using the well to time-travel again?"

"So it's _you_ who's going to send us back. How is that even possible? It only really worked with the jewel," Kagome asked.

"Well, I could tell you that it worked because of true love, and you're meant to be together, and blah blah," he said, waving his hand. "And though that's probably true, I'm going to tell you the science part that's going to send you back." He forced a dramatic pause as they stared at him, and he added humorously. "Brace yourself, I'm about to take the fun out of everything."

Inuyasha and Kagome watched him curiously, their silence urging him to continue.

"More importantly, our advanced technology has uncovered an unstable, space-time rift at your shrine's well, Kagome. More like a wormhole, but I won't call it that for sure because it's very unstable, and the only way it was activated in the first place - and stable - was because of the energy in the Shikon no Tama. Something, probably the holy power of the priestess Midoriko and all the demon energy of the youkai she was battling, jump-started the rift and made it active long enough for the two of you to time travel to the same place.

"Since, the jewel was burned with Kikyou and then created in Kagome again in this era, it created two fixed points in time so that a string was created between the two eras. It was a small, thin string of course. Only you two were allowed through, and the string in the rift tuned into your energy, and became fixated on it and nothing else." Kagome's jaw dropped, but she believed she could follow him. "You got this?" They both nodded, but the confidence wasn't quite there.

Shippo continued anyway. "So with that in mind, you were able to time-travel; however, it was the jewel stabilizing this broken, erratic rift. Now that the jewel is gone, the rift could be powered by your energy, if the thought was right - high emotions and high spiritual output from you both might trigger a jump, but that's speculation of course. You need something to boost your power without frying your brain and shorting out your heart, and you need another device to stabilize the rift. I've invented both of these devices."

He looked at them with a wide grin, but when he met Sesshoumaru's unimpressed face, he frowned immediately. He put his hands up in surrender. "You're probably wondering if those devices are done. Well, the power booster is, thankfully, but we haven't completed the Stabilizer yet." Sesshoumaru's lip curled in displeasure, and Shippo began to shrink back away from him. "I should have it ready in about three hours."

Silence overtook the basement room, and finally Kagome chimed in. "You mean we can go back to see Miroku and Sango in three hours?"

Shippo nodded once, still cautious about Sesshoumaru's mood.

Suddenly, Kagome jumped into Shippo's arms! He twirled her around instinctively and laughed. "That's fantastic! We thought we'd never get to see them again! If we only have to wait three hours, it's worth it!"

"So, you're happy?" Shippo asked.

"Oh, Shippo, I'm so proud of you. It's the best thing you've ever done!" Kagome said, kissing his cheek.

Shippo blushed hotly. "Well," he said with a cough. "I'll... get working then. It should give you plenty of time to eat and freshen up after fighting Naru." Shippo's gaze turned to Sesshoumaru, who seemed to be a little more at ease from Kagome's glee. He still eyed Shippo with that usual steely gaze, however.

"Excellent, get everything ready at the well in three hours. We will reconvene with you then," Sesshoumaru said formally, and he turned heel and made his way up the stairs with Aki and Hojo following him. For a moment, Kagome and Inuyasha stayed behind.

"It really is good to see you again," Kagome said, squeezing Shippo's arms lovingly.

Inuyasha punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Not bad, runt. Not bad." And if they stayed any longer, Shippo was sure to cry.

"Let's get to work," Kai reminded him, and Shippo watched as Inuyasha and Kagome left the basement with a brief goodbye.

He clenched his fists at his sides, and then he pushed his hair out of his eyes again and released a war cry. "Let's do this!"

"Yeah!" Souten called next to him, and the three youkai computer geeks started tapping and typing away.

TBC...


	22. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Isis-Kitty for the beta work! Well, this is it, folks. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. Take care!  
> This chapter has M-rated adult content in it. You have been warned.

When Kagome and Inuyasha left Shippo's small work shed, they realized they were far behind the others on the surface. Inuyasha sniffed around, hoping to find their scents to follow them in the labyrinth of Sesshoumaru's compound; however, Kagome distracted him as she tugged on his sleeve.

He turned to her, meeting her bright eyes and sultry grin. "So, you were saying something about promising me some alone time later?" She leaned in closer, licking her lips, and Inuyasha felt the heat burst in his lower body. He grinned at her. " _Now_ is later," she cooed at him sweetly.

He grabbed her arm, took another sniff in the air, and started off toward the nearest entrance of the compound. "Let's find that room we stayed in." Kagome nodded, and then she laughed with surprise as he pulled her long.

Finding the room was easy; making excuses for the people they ran into was the difficult part. Kagome expressed her fear at running into her mother on the way to their room, but Inuyasha reassured her quite quickly that her mother was doing worse things. Kagome understood his point; however, he didn't have to add on, "Besides, she's probably rutting with your Hojo friend right now." He was lucky Kagome didn't get sick from that and ruin the whole mood.

Yet, they had done enough fighting. Even destroying Naraku in the past only to fall into more shenanigans in the future earned them the right to have some leisure time. And it took long enough to get to this point; they'd wasted enough time dancing around their feelings for years, as well as getting interrupted by battles and personal baggage.

The room was spotless when they arrived. They remembered leaving it in such a mess before, and it was apparent that one of Sesshoumaru's in-house cleaning minions had tidied up the room back to its original state. Inuyasha supposed it wouldn't have mattered anyway; he could take her anywhere at this point, messy room or not.

Closing and locking the door behind him, Inuyasha turned to face Kagome, leading her back to the edge of the bed. The lights dimmed, with only small slivers of afternoon light peeking through the window shades. Inuyasha lifted his hands up, smoothing them over the material of her shirt, tugging at the bottom as he looked into her eyes.

"We've waited too long," Kagome said, resting her hands on his chest. Automatically, their fingers explored, dutifully peeling away the layers so they could feel skin. Breathing became heavy between them, and Kagome fluttered her eyes as his claws lightly traced over the nipples of her breasts. She leaned back, and softly she fell onto the bed as he climbed over her. His hair created a curtain over her face, and she ran her fingers through it, moaning lightly as his feelings fell below, finding the wet heat between her legs. He pushed a finger inside, delicately, and she cried softly as he drew in and out with an even pace.

"Kagome," he said, becoming impatient, and freeing his fingers from her so he wouldn't hurt her as he began to lose control. The shifted their bodies onto the bed, and he bucked into her, his hardened length teasing and brushing up against the sensitive flesh of her thighs.

"Please..." she begged, snaking her arms around his back and arching her body into his. He growled, and slowly as they moved, he found her, the tip of him desperate to reach inside. Swiftly, her hands fell down, drawing him in - filling her tightly as much as she wanted. He made a noise of ecstasy, and he started to rock, delighting in the soft cries that escaped her as they crested higher upon the wave.

Warm, hot, and slick, and immediately she felt all of him, and he of her, and they came together so frantically, so warm and wanting that the room was spinning, their bodies running far ahead of their minds. Each thrust, each kiss on a breast and soft moan whispered in an ear, it drove them faster - dissolving inhibitions, becoming and transforming into bodies so primal.

Then, Kagome cried loudly, tensing her body as Inuyasha continued to grind hard, reaching and pushing so far inside her she had to remind herself to breathe. A cold wave rushed over her, and she felt it her peak, on the tips of her fingers. Soon, she came down, relaxed and satiated as he still hovered over her. She smiled, giggled, and reached her fingers to his soft ears, rubbing them and tickling them until Inuyasha groaned against her cheek, driving in one final thrust before emptying inside her.

He scooped her into his arms, holding her as they both caught their breaths and balance. They cuddled, and Kagome nuzzled against his nose.

"Remember, we have to be at my shrine in a couple of hours," she said. Inuyasha laughed and kissed a trail over her jaw.

"We have plenty of time for more without being late," he said with a confident snicker.

Kagome smiled, still tickling his ears. "You know, you were right."

"Of course I was," he said, and paused confused. "About what?"

She moved at his side and turned over to straddle him. She took him inside, half-soft, but quickly becoming hard again as she began to move. He watched her breasts bounce in his face with a grateful smile.

"You said it gets better," Kagome said, moving her hips again into a steady pace. "And it does."

***

"Oh, so you decided to arrive," Sesshoumaru said with a yawn. He gave his brother a glare as Aki, Shippo and his team worked in the background. "You're late."

"Feh," Inuyasha said, waving his hand in the air. He walked by his brother with devious smile. "We had more important things to do." Kagome blushed beside him, trying not to meet Sesshoumaru's eyes.

"Hey, that's okay, guys!" Shippo called, waving to them. "We still needed to fine tune some things, so it's better you came a little late. We want to make sure it's perfect." He laughed. "We don't want to make a mistake and send you to a different era, or worse, another planet!"

"This is not a joke, Shippo," Sesshoumaru warned him, and even Kai and Souten weren't laughing. "Is it ready?"

"Yeah, it's ready. It's fully charged and once they stand in the bottom of the well, the Power Booster will rev up, and then the Stabilizer will sync with it." He gave them a thumbs-up. "You guys are good to go!"

"So, do you want to see your friends?" Aki asked.

"Yeah, but how long can we stay?" Kagome asked. "We don't want you waiting for us to come back."

"For the first time, we'll give you a couple hours," Sesshoumaru said. "Then Shippo will train you on the machines so you may use them yourselves."

Kagome turned to Inuyasha and nodded. "We can explain everything to Miroku and Sango within a couple of hours."

"Yeah, and then we'll come back," Inuyasha said, and he took Kagome's hand to lead her to the well, a familiar place that almost felt routine to them. Only, the way of the journey would be different, and so would their purpose.

Inuyasha leaped down to the bottom and caught Kagome when she climbed down. She hugged him, feeling anxiety wash over her body, hoping this would work. She thought of Miroku and Sango, and even Shippo as a child, and she smiled.

"Okay, we're ready!" Inuyasha called.

They heard an odd buzz from Shippo's machine, a weird surge of power surround them, and then Kagome and Inuyasha were showered in artificial blue light. Their stomachs almost turned, and it felt like the universe had snapped.

***

They both sighed in relief. "We're actually here!" Kagome yelled jubilantly, and like old times, Inuyasha helped her out of the well. Only this time, Kagome didn't have her giant yellow bag.

They walked toward the village and found Shippo, the younger version, racing toward him as Miroku and Sango ran behind. "Kagome! Inuyasha!" Shippo yelled, and Sango waved to them as Miroku laughed.

"You're back! We didn't think we'd ever see you again!" Miroku yelled, and soon they intercepted each other, as their friends caught their breaths. "Shippo noticed your scent when you arrived, and we came as soon as we could."

"Did the jewel let you come back?" Sango asked, but Kagome shook her head.

"The jewel is gone. We made a wish on it and it disappeared." Miroku and Sango looked stunned by the news. "We'll explain everything. We don't have much time until we have to get back."

Sango frowned, but Inuyasha reassured her. "Don't worry, we can come back again."

"That's wonderful," she said. "Won't you come in for tea? It's been a couple months since we've seen you, and a lot has changed here too." Sango's cheeks suddenly warmed with a deep blush. "We have some news for you as well."

As soon as she said it, Inuyasha picked up on her scent (which Kagome still found really creepy by the way). "Miroku, you dog!"

"Sango, are you guys going to have a baby?" Sango nodded, and Kagome drew her into her a happy hug. "Wait, did you guys already have a wedding without us?"

Sango sighed. "I'm sorry, Kagome." She looked to Miroku with a sheepish smile. "We couldn't wait any longer, and we didn't know if you'd ever be back."

Kagome waved it off. "It's okay. We can still celebrate some other time. Now, tell me about this baby." Kagome slid her arm in Sango's as the two women headed back toward the village. Inuyasha wrapped his arm around Miroku's shoulder and grinned.

"It's good to see you, pervert," Inuyasha said with cackled. "You would not believe the crap we had to deal with in Kagome's time."

"Well, my friend, let us have that tea, and maybe a little sake with it," he said, his voice out of range of Sango's hearing. "Then, you can tell me everything."

***

When Inuyasha and Kagome said goodbye to Sango and Miroku back at the well, they knew it wouldn't be permanent this time.

"We'll be back soon," Kagome said, releasing Miroku from a hug. "Promise."

"I expect so," he said with a laugh. "We have a wedding to plan for." He turned to his wife and nodded. "Two weddings actually, a new wedding and a revisited one." He winked at her.

"I can't wait!" Kagome said, and Inuyasha grimaced at her side, trying not to let the sap get to him.

"I'm curious, Kagome," Sango asked her. "If you had to make a choice between staying in this time or your time, do you know what you'd pick?"

Kagome turned to Inuyasha with a small smile. "I think the choice wouldn't be easy, but..." She released a heavy sigh and met her friends' faces. "We would probably stay here with you guys. After what we went through, you're our family now." Inuyasha nodded in agreement at her side.

"But we won't have to do that," Inuyasha said, and he turned to Kagome as they both jumped down the well. Blue light filled the bottom and burst through the top. Miroku, Sango and Shippo looked down, and their friends were gone.

At least for now.

"Well?" Shippo (the teenager) asked them immediately as they climbed out of the well in Kagome's time. "How'd it go?"

"It was fine. It worked just like the old way," Inuyasha said, and Shippo cheered.

"I'm a genius!" he hollered, dancing around them.

"Please contain yourself," Sesshoumaru warned him. "Now you must show them how to use it." He looked at his brother and one eyebrow rose in wonder. "It may be difficult for them to grasp."

"Hey!" Inuyasha yelled angrily. "Why don't you stuff it, asshole?" His brother scoffed, tucking a strand of black hair (since his illusion was back) behind his very human looking ear.

"Guys, guys," Kagome said, trying to keep them calm. "Sesshoumaru's right. It's going to be tricky to learn how to do this, but I think we can manage." She squeezed Inuyasha's hand encouragingly, and they turned to Shippo. "This is important. Without this, we can't see Miroku and Sango. So go ahead and show us how this thing works."

"So, wait, when we learn how to use these machines, then we can travel to my time through the well whenever we want to, just the two of us?" Inuyasha asked as he and Kagome awaited more instruction from Shippo.

"Of course! I know, I know, it's totally jumping the shark, but trust me on this. This latent time rift connected to your well is more stable than ever thanks to my Stabilizer. You don't need to worry," he said with a grin, though they really didn't understand that beginning part.

Kagome and Inuyasha looked down at the well again, and their faces lit up with excitement at the possibility of seeing Miroku and Sango and Kagome's family whenever they wanted. It was finally becoming a reality to them.

"Wait, I have one more important question before we learn these machines," Kagome said, and Shippo watched her with a sly grin. It was still so unusual seeing him so grown up. "If we go back and forth through time too much, won't we damage some universal law of the space time continuum or something?"

"Hrmm," he said, rubbing the fuzzy ginger goatee on his chin as he pondered her question. "You know, you're probably right. I mean, you've done a lot of traveling through time already; though, time is obviously not as screwed up as it should be, but with more time traveling, you could potentially endanger the timeline even more." He frowned, and suddenly, Inuyasha and Kagome felt their hope immediately deflating. Maybe they couldn't see Miroku and Sango that much after all. "Ah! Who cares, right? Just go for it! What the hell," he said, and unexpectedly, Shippo's team cheered with encouragement.

Then Shippo added. "I may be completely wrong though!"

Everyone laughed, and oddly enough, you'd think that statement would worry people. But no one was worried; everything was _okay_. The bad guy was defeated, the Shikon no Tama had disappeared, and Kagome and Inuyasha were getting the chance to share both their homes in time and space.

Nothing could possibly go wrong after all that, right?

THE END


End file.
